Architects invoice - Amount okay?

Hello dear community,

we had contact with an architect with whom we unfortunately could not come to an agreement.
The situation:
- last year we had the first consultation with him for 2 hours (which we also paid for, amounting to a whopping €418)
- afterwards he insisted on presenting sketches to our municipality & of course preparing these sketches in advance. (We agreed to this by email, as we had no other choice)
- these sketches were partly not aligned at all with the development plan.
- we then wanted to sit down with him to discuss the contract (13 pages) & read it at home. However, he completely refused to give us the contract to take home and read calmly.
- of course this seemed strange to us & the next day we wrote to him again that we would like to read the contract at home once more.
- thereafter we received no feedback from him (for 3 months)
- today we found an invoice in the mailbox amounting to €1720!!

Included in the invoice:
- familiarization with the development plan (2h)
- presentation at the municipality (1h)
- draft sketches (4h)

What should we do now?

Thanks in advance, regards

Two possible perspectives: 1) You gave him an oral assignment to go to the community and make sketches for it. You were so foolish, despite the first high invoice for the initial consultation, to do this without a fee agreement. So you are paying tuition fees again. 2) Disappear. Let him sue then.

Hello dear community, ...- Afterwards he insisted on presenting sketches to our municipality & of course prepares these sketches in advance. (We also agreed by email, as we had no other choice) ...

Why no choice? The facts do not seem clear to me. The wording of the email would probably be important here for a lawyer. However, if a contract (legally binding?) has been concluded, the architect also has a claim to payment, right?! Sorry, but here you (because you thought you had to?) naively placed an order. No one HAS to agree to "something like that"!!

This is how I understood it: The architect proposed an approach, you agreed, and he did the job. The invoice will be paid. The prices are not a bargain but also not unreasonably high – even if these should be net prices. Not being able to take a contract home would have also been a deal breaker for me. But that has nothing to do with the previous assignment. It is also OK that the invoice only arrived now. Just be glad that this happened to you at the beginning and not later in the construction process – such a way of coordinating can quickly cost many times more. A good wake-up call.

- Today we found a bill in the mailbox for 1720€!!
Included in the bill:
- Familiarization with the development plan (2h)
- Meeting at the municipality (1h)
- Draft sketches (4h)

That corresponds to an hourly rate of 245 EUR! Bravo! Well, there were also 15 EUR copying costs included. Seriously, do nothing for now and definitely don’t pay, the money is gone! Get advice from a lawyer specialized in construction and/or contract law. Have legal expenses insurance? If necessary, it will cost about a hundred euros. I don’t see the oral contract at this scope and, moreover, the burden of proof lies with the architect.

Corresponds to an hourly wage of 245 EUR! Capeau!

That is nonsense. Revenue is not wages.