Renovation designer fees (house, school, contractor)

[Bizjetpilot]

We are in the process of renovating our house and wanted to talk with a designer to get some ideas about where to start and what options we might have in each room under consideration. So far, we've had several companies (mostly kitchen and bath design) which took measurements and explored possibilities, but never charged for this, as they were selling themselves in order to get the business. Several of these companies never followed up with us, and for various reasons we decided to not go with others.

Someone recommended a designer to us, so we arranged an appointment with him to show him our project to discuss options. I assumed that this would be a preliminary discussion, and that if we felt comfortable with some of his ideas then we would hire him for a specific design.

Turns out that he spent two hours with us walking around the house, taking a measurement here and there and sketching (not very well) on a scratchpad some very non specific but artsy ideas about "how you could do this" or "what would be nice here", etc. When I asked him how his ideas would translate into reality (CAD drawings, etc.), he said he didn't do that, and that he was "old school", and would simply give the specifics to the contractor.

When we were finished, he stated that his fee was $125/hour and that he would invoice us. We received an invoice in the mail today.

I am inclined to ignore this, as it was never understood nor agreed to up front that there would be a fee for a preliminary consultation. This was a surprise to me. He did not present a specific agenda on how he would proceed, and frankly, I thought that he did not inspire confidence, nor a professional demeanor.

Should I tell him or just ignore his billing?

[MattMN]

Originally Posted by Bizjetpilot

Should I tell him or just ignore his billing?

I would certainly expect anyone coming to perform a service to clarify the fee ahead of time. People get quotes all the time for certain work, and estimates are always free.

I think it would be fair to explain this as your assumption - you thought this was an initial free consultation / visit, like all the rest, and there was no reason for you to believe he would be charging. If he was planning to charge for an initial visit / advice, he should have made it clear from the beginning. No need to indicate whether you thought he was great or not, or whether you will use him or not. Just state you appreciate his input and are evaluating all your options to move forward.

[Shabotnik]

Did he ever ask "How did you get my name?"

[photoman_6]

definitely put it in writing, explaining very clearly that you never had an agreement BEFOREHAND as to his fee structure. This should absolve you of any issues. Put everything in writing.