#489: I hired a worker to do a job, but then he raised the price. What are my options?
What is the halachah if we hire an electrician, a mover, or other worker and agree on a price, but when they show up to do the job they demand more than was agreed upon?
The halachah is that if it’s a davar ha’aved (irreversible damage would result if the job isn’t done at that time), and if it’s not possible to find another worker on such short notice, it’s permissible to give the worker the impression that they will be paid the higher amount, but in fact to only pay them the lower, original amount once the work is completed. This is based on the principle of mat’an (one may fool a worker who reneged on an agreement). However, if it isn’t a davar ha’aved, or there are other workers available at an agreeable price, it’s forbidden to mislead the worker—although it’s up to the worker to prove that there were other options available at the time if he wishes to dispute being paid the lower price; if he is unable to do so, he has no grounds for demanding the higher amount.
On the other hand, if there was a ketzitzah b’taus (the price the worker originally quoted was based on a misunderstanding)—e.g. the worker had not realized that the job entailed much more than he originally thought—we may not deceive him.
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