Contractor hell

[wmw999 2,146]

I went and hired a contractor to do some repair work around my house (fix a leaky portico, and replace the door whose frame was ruined by the portico).

Checked out the guy's references, BBB entry, he had 3 years in BBB and 1 settled claim -- not at all unreasonable.

Made the mistake of paying 1/2 down first (which is fairly standard practice) by check (which I have found out since I should not have done). That was 2 weeks ago today. Work was supposed to start the following Monday, didn't start until last Tuesday (over a week late). All they've done so far is tear the cover off the portico and leave it. It's rained since then (I covered it with a tarp and plastic -- it's not like they did anything).

He's only answered 1 phone call, and has left me 1 unresponsive message most days (i.e. I want to talk about how they're going to fix MY fucking house, and he says it'll be done by Saturday, which was a day I originally had plans). I no longer have any faith in the work being completed, and I am not at all certain they'll even do an adequate job if by some miracle they do show up.

Right now I'm tempted to call him and ask him to simpy deliver the materials that he's supposed to have bought and I'll call it even. It won't be, but it'll be a damn sight better than poor work that's worse than the original problem.

Any ideas? I have not dealt with this kind of thing before; I've usually dealt with individuals, but I wanted the "protection" (ha!) of a real company with a BBB entry for this one, which would involve a warranty.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[TequilaGirl 0]

I have a great contractor who can clean up his mess.....PM me the info on the guy/company and I will ask my contractor if he knows the guy or can help you out.....

[BRYANGOESBOOM 0]

Let him take his time a fiddle fart around when he's done .............stiff him on the rest of the money

take pic's of the work ...make sure the camera has a date stamp thingie on it in case he wants to take you to court

Not only will you look better, feel better, and fuck better; you'll have significantly increased your life expectancy. --Douva

[wmw999 2,146]

I have been. No date/time, but I've been copying and annotating the pictures. If you're consistent, it's way better than nothing. I'll go to the BBB before paying him the balance -- that's less likely to end up with me being sued.

And thanks, TG -- will do in the near future. Of course, if he doesn't finish the work, I'll willingly publish the company name and everything else in here.... Probably in the neighborhood newsletter too(where I got his number in the first place)

It's enough money to piss me off and hurt a little, but nowhere close to enough for him to run away and ruin his reputation.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[skyyhi 0]

Hey Wendy, sorry this has become a problem.

I'll tell you a little story about my ex hubby's business. They are general contractors who specialize in home remodel/repair. Right now at this very moment they have 120 jobs on the books. They keep telling people the same thing when they call. . .and I quote "we are extremely busy right now, it may take several days or weeks before we can get to the work. Do you have a deadline or are you in a hurry? If you are you might want to call around and see if someone else is less busy and can get to the work." Because they are always honest up front they usually get the job anyway unless the person is really in a hurry. There is no excuse for promising and not delivering. Call the BBB now and do a preliminary report. Also, call the state contractor's licensing board as well. File a preliminary report with them. It can be retracted when the work is done to satisfaction.

________________________________________
Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

[tigra 0]

Its not that simple. If you don't pay your contractor, regardless of the reason, in most states he can lien your property. Good luck selling, refinancing or taking out a second if that happens. To get rid of it, chances are you'll have to hire an attorney and go to court. Its a PITA and will most likely cost YOU time and money even when the contractor was at fault to begin with.

Wendy- stay on them! The last few times I've had worked done at my house, we used a friend and even that was a pain in the a**. I was thinking how much better I'd feel if we'd hired a licensed rated contractor- now I don't feel so bad!

[Brains 2]

Wendy, here in San Antonio, one of the local tv stations has a segment/team called troubleshooters. They track people like this down and put them on camera asking them why they didn't do what they said they would etc. If H-town has one of those, leave him a message saying that you were going to call them. Chances are that he will show up/call pretty quickly. No one wants to be on the news in a bad light.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[Guest]

And here I thought this thread was about working as a temp!

mh

.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[gemini 0]

Many years ago in another lifetime, I had a business and was a member of the BBB. I quickly became disillusioned with them for many reasons, but most important was when I had a dispute with another BBB member/customer or vendor.

I quickly found out that a lot of the members were members solely to take advantage of the BBB arbitration system because they were always in trouble!

I am really hesitant to do business with anyone who openly announces they are a BBB member.

Blues,

Blue skies,

Jim

[tigra 0]

Wendy,

As frustrating as it is for you now, things will probably work out OK. I don't think the problems you are experiencing now are all that unusual. Seems like a lot of contractors over book themselves over the summer months. The fact that he's a lousy businessman (not returning call or juggling his work load well) doesn't necessarily mean he's a bad contractor or carpenter. Hang in there and keep pestering him. And hey, why not suggest he refund what is left of your advance and deliver the materials he's already purchased. (with receipts!) That's sure to get his attention anyway!

maura