Your responses have been very helpful. You reinforce my feelings on the matter. It is my mistake I realize for itemizing things to begin with. This customer has always been tgood pay. They have trusted me and only looked once or twice at other EC's in the seven years I have worked for them.
Somebody touched on it when they said the job is over budget. I can totaly expect that the owner didnt know what he would be spending in total.
I have also spoiled this customer by itemizing things out the tenth degree. They are the only customer I do this for. But I felt most times it was for the best, and like I said they have been good pay, pretty much no questiuons asked.
When put over the phone to me last week by the controller, who by the way acts as the GC (with no construction experience) stating the owner wanted to see receipts and telling me there is no mark up on T & M I felt insulted and betrayed. I was being told how I am suppose to run my business.
I feel I have a good enough of a relationship with the owner to come up with a compromise and work this out. The controller has definately done things through out this project and others which if anything has cost the owner more money, because his lack of construction knowledge and splinelessness.
They like nothing but cheap contractors. I was cheap before, but I have since learned how to charge to be successful. It seems I am the only contractor in the trades they use who charges accordingly. One because of the type of field we are in and second, I think is becasue of the relationship I thought we had. I always tried to make them feel and see that their intersts where my sole concern.
Live and learn I guess...that will be my epitaph
