We wanted a CPA certification framed as a gift for our daughter-in-law, so we shopped around for prices. We didn't want anything elaborate, just matting and a nice frame. The sales lady at Cental Florida Office Plus, a local business, told us that the cost would be around $120. It wasn't the lowest price, but we thought it was reasonable, and it allowed us to pump money into a local business rather than a national chain. We figured that with taxes we would probably pay around $130 by the time everything was done.

The framing job took about two weeks longer than we were originally told because some material had been held up at customs. That should have raised a red flag since we had not asked for an elaborate, expensive framing job. When it was finally completed and we were called to pick the package up, we were surprised to find out that the framing job cost $160 without taxes.

When my husband complained that we had been told the job would cost around $120, he was told that no one there would have given such an estimate, and his claim was rudely dismissed. Since the diploma had been framed, we had no choice but to pay almost $50 more than we had budgeted for.