R. Eric Thomas Tribune Content Agency

Asking Eric

Dear Eric: We’ve had some improvements done on our home lately, and for each job I would get quotes from two different contractors for comparison. There would be the typical friendly back-and-forth between us and the contractors as we work out the details of their proposals.

My husband and I then go over the quotes and make our selection of contractors. I always follow up with the contractor we do not go with, thanking them for their time and their quote and offering a very short explanation (always politely worded) about why we went with the other contractor (price; lead time; etc.) as I think they would want some feedback as to why they weren’t chosen.

These follow-ups are invariably met with radio silence. I understand that the contr

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