My neighbor here in Ma told me yesterday that he's trying to get a fence installed and was told by many fence contractors that he would have to pay them for an estimate. Even his landscaper wanted a deposit before he would come out for an estimate.
He did get one to come out for free, but their estimate was outrageous, $100 per ft, $22K for a plastic 4' picket fence around the front yard.
I saw a sign on a business the other day, "Now hiring, someone that will show up".