Frequently Asked Questions

We analyze your quote line-by-line against real market data: • **Material pricing:** We compare quoted material costs against retail pricing and verify markup percentages (20-40% is fair; 100%+ is excessive) • **Labor rates:** We check labor charges against regional averages for each trade (electrician, plumber, carpenter, etc.) • **Project scope:** We verify the work scope matches industry standards and identify missing or inflated line items • **Location factors:** We adjust for your specific region (NYC costs ≠ Mississippi costs) Our analysis is powered by national construction cost indices, published contractor pricing guides, and real-time market research.

We can still help! For total-only quotes, we: • Compare the total against typical market ranges for your project type and size • Provide educational cost breakdowns (what materials/labor typically cost) • Identify if the total is fair, high, or suspiciously low • Recommend asking for itemization if you want to proceed However, **itemized quotes give much better analysis**—we can catch specific overcharges line-by-line.

Our current accuracy is **65-75%** (verified against real market data). We're continuously improving by: • Adding more cost database sources • Refining regional adjustments • Learning from submitted quotes **What we catch well:** Material markups, labor rate inflation, obvious padding **What's harder:** Specialized work, custom materials, regional micro-variations We always show our confidence level and explain our reasoning—you make the final call.

**24 hours or less.** Most reports are ready within 12 hours. You'll get an email when your report is ready. No need to check back—we'll notify you.

**$9.99 per Project Pass.** One-time payment. No subscription. No hidden fees. For qualifying weather-trigger events, we may offer a **$4.99 promotional Project Pass**. We may also offer limited promo codes during launch or special campaigns.

**Yes, if our analysis doesn't help you.** If you're unsatisfied with the report quality or it doesn't provide useful insights, use Talk to a Human on the Support page within 7 days and we'll refund you—no questions asked. We stand behind our work.

**Yes.** Each project uses its own Project Pass. The standard price is **$9.99 per Project Pass**. Many customers compare multiple contractor quotes for the same project, and GougeAlert is designed to help them make a fair apples-to-apples decision.

We accept all major credit cards, debit cards, and Apple Pay via Stripe. Your payment information is processed securely—we never see or store your card details.

**Nothing.** We NEVER sell your data. Ever. Here's exactly what happens to your information: ✅ **We use it to:** Analyze your quote and generate your report ✅ **We store it to:** Let you access your report later ❌ **We DON'T:** Sell it, share it with contractors, use it for lead generation, or give it to third parties **This is our core differentiator.** Lead-gen sites (HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Angie's List) sell your info to 3-5 contractors who call/email you relentlessly. We don't. Read our full [Privacy Policy](/privacy).

**No.** We never contact contractors or share your information with them. We're not a referral service. We're an independent analysis tool. Your quote stays private.

**Yes.** Use **Talk to a Human** on our [Support page](/support), and we'll delete your account and all associated data within 48 hours. You can also download your data before deletion if you want a copy.

Every report includes: 📊 **Overall Assessment** Fair / High / Suspiciously Low with confidence score 📝 **Line-by-Line Analysis** (for itemized quotes) Each item rated: Fair / Slightly High / High / Red Flag 💰 **Cost Breakdown** Material costs, labor rates, markup analysis 🚩 **Red Flags Identified** Vague descriptions, excessive markups, missing permits, etc. 🎯 **Recommendations** Negotiate these items / Get competing bid / Proceed / Walk away 📈 **Market Comparison** How your quote compares to typical pricing for your region All delivered as a clean, branded PDF you can save or share.

**Absolutely!** The report is yours to use however you want. Many customers use it to negotiate: *"Your material markup on cabinets is 180%. Industry standard is 20-40%. Can we adjust that?"* The report gives you specific talking points backed by data.

Trust your gut. Our analysis is data-driven, but you know your situation best. **If you're still uncertain:** - Get 1-2 competing quotes for comparison - Ask the contractor to clarify specific line items - Check contractor reviews/references (we verify *pricing*, not *quality*) Our report is one input to your decision—not the only input.

We accept: • PDF • Images (JPG, PNG, HEIC) • Screenshots • Scanned documents • Email forwards (copy-paste the quote text) **Tip:** The clearer the quote, the better our analysis. Blurry photos or handwritten quotes are harder to parse.

**Currently US-only.** Our cost data is US-specific. We're planning to expand to Canada and UK in 2026. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified.

Our AI is trained to understand construction jargon and variations. If we can't parse something, we'll flag it in the report and explain what we need clarified. You can then ask your contractor for clarification.

**Yes.** This lets you: • Access your reports anytime • Submit multiple quotes • Track your analysis history Sign-up takes 30 seconds (email + password). No credit card required until you're ready to pay for analysis.

Check out our **free cost guides** to get a sense of fair pricing before you even request quotes: • [State-by-state pricing](/locations) • [Project cost breakdowns](/blog) • [How to read contractor quotes](/blog/how-to-read-contractor-quote) Then when you get quotes, you'll already have context for what's reasonable.

Sometimes. We may run **weather-trigger promotions** that reduce the Project Pass to **$4.99**, and we may occasionally issue limited promo codes during launch or special campaigns. If a promotion is active, you can apply it at checkout. If you're unsure whether something is current, ask Zedd or use Talk to a Human on the Support page.

Use **Talk to a Human** on our [Support page](/support). **Response time:** Usually within 24 hours (often faster) We're a small team, and a real person reads every message. You can also use the chat widget on any page (powered by Zedd, our AI assistant, with human escalation for complex issues).