Our company has requested documents from several states. For the most part, the estimated costs for the documents seem reasonable. However, some come back with estimates that are rather prohibitive. At times, it seems like a tactic to deter fulfillment of the request.
We do not want to file a complaint every time. However, we cannot afford to give into all these demands. What are some best practices to some how negotiate a lower price? Or, at least gain the confidence that this is a true reflection of the cost of producing the records.
Hello! Having info from other states is a great help in this regard - when presented with a cost estimate, simply list cost estimates of similar docs from other states and ask them to explain the discrepancy. Other options - always ask for digital files and always get an estimate breakdown so you know that they’re not padding anything.