burned by a contractor
 

So the wife and I are moving into a new house soon and we're doing some major remodeling in the new place.

New hardwood floors throughout the main living area and in the master bedroom, a brand new kitchen, new carpets in the guest bedrooms, new paint, etc.

We hired a guy to do the floors and carpets, and he also did some painting in 2 of the bedrooms, and he scrapped our popcorn ceilings. This guy came recommended from a neighbor, and we checked his work there and everything seemed fine.

We haven't been too happy with this floor guy so far but the crap really hit the fan tonight. Up until now his work wasn't horrible necessarily, but he just kept missing deadlines and was hard to get in touch with sometimes. So we stopped in to check out the floors tonight and they looked horrible, just pathetic. I swear a monkey could have done a better job. Blotches everywhere. Obviously he did a piss poor job with the sanding and every blemish is showing, big time.

So we're into this project pretty deep and I could just throw up after seeing the total amateur job he did with the hardwoods. Luckily, the contractor we have doing the kitchen remodel is a real professional and a great guy, I only wish we would have just hired him to do the whole house. He's calling his guy that does floors to come out and see if he can salvage the damage that's already been done. Best case he can sand them properly and stain them again, worst case we might have to rip up the floors and start over.

We feel like we've been kicked in the gut. We're just thankful the contractor who is doing the kitchen is a real pro who can help us out. Hell, he even flat out old told the floor guy he did a shit job right to his face!

I guess the lesson here is to really do your homework when hiring a contractor for a major job, and get more than just a neighbor's recommendation. I think this contractor was just a small time guy who bit off more than he could chew, and unfortunately we're the ones that have to deal with cleaning up his mess.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

You didn't pay his ass all upfront did you? If there's a lot of money involved you should take pictures of the job he did and take his ass to small claims court. Trust but verify brother. Walk softly but carry a big stick...you got to watch these guys like a hawk and not be afraid to crack the whip during the initial stages of a job.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Is he a licensed contractor? If so I would try to get his license # and report him. If you paid him upfront for anything more than materials it was a HUGE mistake. Check with your local BBB. I have dealt with the BBB here in MD and they were more helpful than you might think.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

We still owe him some money. But I'm going to get an estimate for how much it's going to cost to fix his mess and take that off the top from what we owe him.

We're also going to look into filing a complaint with the BBB or with the state.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518492]We still owe him some money. But I'm going to get an estimate for how much it's going to cost to fix his mess and take that off the top from what we owe him.

We're also going to look into filing a complaint with the BBB or with the state.[/quote]

Take LOTS of pictures you will need them if this goes to court. Finished work is always up for interpution, what you might think is bad another person may think is acceptable.

I hate contractors and I try to use Lowes or a licensed person so at least I now they have done it before and they stand behind their work.

BTW- IF this a single guy doing some side work the BBB is not going to do you much help, small claims court is where yo uare headed.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Yeah we plan on taking tons of pictures. There's no doubt the work is shoddy, we've had a couple of other contractors look at it and the consensus seems to be it's some of the worst work they've seen.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

If he is licensed, contact the licensing authority. Usually there is a fund set aside that homeowners can access if a contractor screws up the job.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Yeah, there's a transaction recovery fund in VA, so I'm sure there's one in NY. The bbb is bullshit. Its a club that wants money from businesses in order to reccomend them. The bbb has a positive review for Sun Circulation Co Inc., a traveling magazine sales scam company I worked for @ 19. I've even reported them and 2 of their "employees" have been charged with rape and murder while on the job, but the bbb says they're cool!

Anyway best of luck. I went into business this year with my cousin and we have an electrical contracting company. Kinda fell into it, and I'm amazed at how many shitty contractors are out there. I've seen some pretty lazy/dangerous things done by previous electricians in homes I've worked on.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Did the guy do the hard wood floors for your neighbor who recomended him?

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=firstdown;518539]Did the guy do the hard wood floors for your neighbor who recomended him?[/quote]

Yes he did.

Well guys it's about to get even more interesting. I just talked to the joke who did the floors and we're meeting up at noon to "settle up". I can't wait to see his face when I say he's not getting another cent out of us and on top of that we're going to take him to small claims court to try to recoup another $5k.

Wish me luck. I'm ready to rumble!

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518569]Yes he did.

Well guys it's about to get even more interesting. I just talked to the joke who did the floors and we're meeting up at noon to "settle up". I can't wait to see his face when I say he's not getting another cent out of us and on top of that we're going to take him to small claims court to try to recoup another $5k.

Wish me luck. I'm ready to rumble![/quote]

Get 'em!! Shitty situation man, I hope it all works out. At least you have the good contractor who did your kitchen on your side. Sounds like he can really help remedy the shitty floor work this other yahoo did.

Let us know how it turns out. If we don't hear from you in a few hours, I'm going to assume you got locked up for contractor-icide. :)

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518569]Yes he did.

Well guys it's about to get even more interesting. I just talked to the joke who did the floors and we're meeting up at noon to "settle up". I can't wait to see his face when I say he's not getting another cent out of us and on top of that we're going to take him to small claims court to try to recoup another $5k.

Wish me luck. I'm ready to rumble![/quote]

The punchline of course will be that the contractor is...Offiss :)

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518569]Yes he did.

Well guys it's about to get even more interesting. I just talked to the joke who did the floors and we're meeting up at noon to "settle up". I can't wait to see his face when I say he's not getting another cent out of us and on top of that we're going to take him to small claims court to try to recoup another $5k.

Wish me luck. I'm ready to rumble![/quote]
The reason I asked is because doing floors is a skill in itself so this really makes it strang as to why he screwed your floors up and the neighbors floor looked good. Maybe he lost an employee who did his floor work and thought he could do them himself.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Alwasy go Pergo. So easy to do and it looks great if you don't get the cheap stuff. My dogs and kid "skate" across it every day and I have yet to see a mark.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=SmootSmack;518586]The punchline of course will be that the contractor is...Offiss :)[/quote]
THAT'S humor!

.........keep a sharp eye for that ....Hamilton Beach-Haymaker if it's SBF!

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Hog1;518603]THAT'S humor!

.........keep a sharp eye for that ....Hamilton Beach-Haymaker if it's SBF![/quote]


It's Irish you should all be worried about. With SBF you might get free recipes, or free food if you play your cards right.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Ok here's what happened, we met up with the douche and as soon as I had our garage door opener back (we're so glad we didn't give him a key) I said here's the deal, we're not giving you any more money. And on top of that we'll see you in small claims court. He didn't even put up a fight, he just said ok fine and walked away with his tail between his legs. I was ready for a blowout too, because not only did they seriously F up the hardwoods but the carpet job they did was a joke as well. Totally visible seams, corners not tucked properly, a complete mess. I took a ton of pictures so I'll post them later for you guys.

The good news is the hardwoods are fixable. A good sanding and new stain done by a true professional we'll be good to go. The new floor guy is also going to fix the carpets as well. So all is not lost, it's just going to cost us more $$ but at least know we know the job is going to be done right. And I can't wait to see that douche in court. It's going to be a slam dunk.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=mredskins;518602]Alwasy go Pergo. So easy to do and it looks great if you don't get the cheap stuff. My dogs and kid "skate" across it every day and I have yet to see a mark.[/quote]
Me and a buddy but Bamboo flooring down in our kitchen, hall, and mud room. Its pretty cool looking and very hard but not as tough as Pergo flooring.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518636]Ok here's what happened, we met up with the douche and as soon as I had our garage door opener back (we're so glad we didn't give him a key) I said here's the deal, we're not giving you any more money. And on top of that we'll see you in small claims court. He didn't even put up a fight, he just said ok fine and walked away with his tail between his legs. I was ready for a blowout too, because not only did they seriously F up the hardwoods but the carpet job they did was a joke as well. Totally visible seams, corners not tucked properly, a complete mess. I took a ton of pictures so I'll post them later for you guys.

The good news is the hardwoods are fixable. A good sanding and new stain done by a true professional we'll be good to go. The new floor guy is also going to fix the carpets as well. So all is not lost, it's just going to cost us more $$ but at least know we know the job is going to be done right. And I can't wait to see that douche in court. It's going to be a slam dunk.[/quote]

NICE JOB! I hate fighting with people who don't do their job.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518636]Ok here's what happened, we met up with the douche and as soon as I had our garage door opener back (we're so glad we didn't give him a key) I said here's the deal, we're not giving you any more money. And on top of that we'll see you in small claims court. He didn't even put up a fight, he just said ok fine and walked away with his tail between his legs. I was ready for a blowout too, because not only did they seriously F up the hardwoods but the carpet job they did was a joke as well. Totally visible seams, corners not tucked properly, a complete mess. I took a ton of pictures so I'll post them later for you guys.

The good news is the hardwoods are fixable. A good sanding and new stain done by a true professional we'll be good to go. The new floor guy is also going to fix the carpets as well. So all is not lost, it's just going to cost us more $$ but at least know we know the job is going to be done right. And I can't wait to see that douche in court. It's going to be a slam dunk.[/quote]

Try to get on Judge Judy or People's Court of Judge Joe Brown or...you get the idea. And rock a Warpath shirt while you're at it

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=SmootSmack;518644]Try to get on Judge Judy or People's Court of Judge Joe Brown or...you get the idea. And rock a Warpath shirt while you're at it[/quote]

lol nice

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Nice job, I had a nightmare scenario a few years ago.

We hired this guy to do our kitchen and bathroom remodeling. He did a real good job and we were pleased. We also needed siding done and he told us he also does that. Since we were pleased with his work to that point, we hired him for the siding.

Terrible idea. He botched the job horrendously, it looked awful and we even had a few minor leaks during the rain. I refused to pay the rest of what I owed him, and I wanted to take him to small claims to recoup what I paid up front, so I began to pursue with a lawyer, but the lawyer did a background and credit check and found that suing him would be like trying to get blood from a stone. There was no sign that the guy had any assets worth a darn.

We let it go and considered it a sunk cost, and just this autumn had a good siding company come redo it. Still chaps my ass everytime I think about it!

Hopefully it works out well for you, Matty.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518636]Ok here's what happened, we met up with the douche and as soon as I had our garage door opener back (we're so glad we didn't give him a key) I said here's the deal, we're not giving you any more money. And on top of that we'll see you in small claims court. He didn't even put up a fight, he just said ok fine and walked away with his tail between his legs. I was ready for a blowout too, because not only did they seriously F up the hardwoods but the carpet job they did was a joke as well. Totally visible seams, corners not tucked properly, a complete mess. I took a ton of pictures so I'll post them later for you guys.

The good news is the hardwoods are fixable. A good sanding and new stain done by a true professional we'll be good to go. The new floor guy is also going to fix the carpets as well. So all is not lost, it's just going to cost us more $$ but at least know we know the job is going to be done right. And I can't wait to see that douche in court. It's going to be a slam dunk.[/quote]

Good to hear and I hope it works out in court as these are not always that easy to win. What kind of contract did you have and did it have anything in their about quality of work or to customer satisfaction. He could also say that you did not allow him to correct the issues or he did the work but there was nothing in writing about quality of the work. The good news is you did not give him all the money up front.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

S10 I just love how people with bad credit seem to always get a free ride. What the hell is the point of paying your bills anymore!

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=mredskins;518674]S10 I just love how people with bad credit seem to always get a free ride. What the hell is the point of paying your bills anymore![/quote]

No kidding. At the risk of sounding like a major asshole and taking this thread in a totally different direction, I'm pretty glad to see a lot of things happening in the economy right now.

Seeing someone who made less than I did, with worse credit than me, acquire the financing to buy a much bigger house than I had always pissed me off. A big part of me is glad to see it turning around, because now there's some justice in the financial system again.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Schneed10;518678]No kidding. At the risk of sounding like a major asshole and taking this thread in a totally different direction,[B] I'm pretty glad to see a lot of things happening in the economy right now.[/B]

Seeing someone who made less than I did, with worse credit than me, acquire the financing to buy a much bigger house than I had always pissed me off. A big part of me is glad to see it turning around, because now there's some justice in the financial system again.[/quote]

I don't know if I'd say I'm "glad" about what's happening, but it's been a long time coming, and it is definitely deserved. I worked in the mortgage industry for a while, so I saw first hand some of the bullshit. Fortunately I never dealt with subprime predatory lending, so my conscience is clear, but I know loan officers who worked for companies (most of which are now belly up) that would just steamroll unqualified borrowers into awful loans they couldn't afford.

Anyway, Matty, good luck getting some money back from that douche nozzle. He must have known what a piss poor job he did, otherwise he probably wouldn't have just walked away without an argument. Can't wait to see those pics....

Re: burned by a contractor
 

here you go enjoy our beautiful disaster:

[url=http://picasaweb.google.com/kyermt/HouseDisaster1709#]Picasa Web Albums - Matthew - house disaste...[/url]

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Wow, he really screwed you over big time dude. He never heard of tape? You probably could have done a better job yourself. I'd take the SOB to court just to make sure his ass never screws somebody else over.

If I were you might be I tempted to strangle the neighbor that recommended him.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518736]here you go enjoy our beautiful disaster:

[url=http://picasaweb.google.com/kyermt/HouseDisaster1709#]Picasa Web Albums - Matthew - house disaste...[/url][/quote]Ah, rustic.

Seriously, that dude F'd your place up! My dad has been building houses my whole life and he would KILL any subcontractor if he went into a house to do some touch ups and he that left a house half that bad. I think I could do better trim work if I was drunk.

Did he claim that he was all finished, or did he plan of coming back to clean up and do touch ups?

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=ArtMonkDrillz;518753]Ah, rustic.

Seriously, that dude F'd your place up! My dad has been building houses my whole life and he would KILL any subcontractor if he went into a house to do some touch ups and he that left a house half that bad.[B] I think I could do better trim work if I was drunk.
[/B]
Did he claim that he was all finished, or did he plan of coming back to clean up and do touch ups?[/quote]


amen.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Holy shit!!! I only got through half the pics and wondered whether this guy was drunk on the job the entire time.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

dude that guy is so freaking awesome... ask him if he'll come to VA and do my mother-in-law's place! I think tomorrow Ashton Kutcher is gonna pop out of your closet....

Seriously, though, if i were a judge I would completely piss on that guy's leg.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=Mattyk72;518736]here you go enjoy our beautiful disaster:

[URL="http://picasaweb.google.com/kyermt/HouseDisaster1709#"]Picasa Web Albums - Matthew - house disaste...[/URL][/quote]

Wow... just... wow. I can't even believe he thought he could pass that off as acceptable. Again, that's probably why he walked away with his tail between his legs. He knew damn well he effed up.

One time a guy backed into me in a parking lot in Gainesville, Fl. I had just gotten my new Acura at the time, and dude did like nearly a grand worth of body damage to the front end of my car. Of course, being a poor college student, he had no insurance. I ended up taking him to small claims court. He didn't show up in court, and I was awarded a little over $1000. The dickhead never paid. It shit on his credit I'm sure, but did nothing for me. I ended up paying out of pocket to fix my new car. And anyone here who has owned a new car, you know how much it blows when it gets that first blemish. I can only imagine how frustrating that is with an investment like a new house. Good luck Matty. Get that ****er.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

[quote=ArtMonkDrillz;518753]Ah, rustic.

Seriously, that dude F'd your place up! My dad has been building houses my whole life and he would KILL any subcontractor if he went into a house to do some touch ups and he that left a house half that bad. I think I could do better trim work if I was drunk.

Did he claim that he was all finished, or did he plan of coming back to clean up and do touch ups?[/quote]

No he didn't claim to be finished, but he blew 3 deadlines on us and after seeing the floors after they were stained it was the last straw. Believe it or not most of that mess occurred in just the last few days. It just spun out of control, they were obviously rushing to finish and just didn't give a ****.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Echo AMD. Did he consider this finished? I mean there's crappy work like the floors in general and then there is just plain negligence like the rest of the work. I guarantee you that just about anybody on this board who has ever picked up a paint brush or hammer could do better than that. I thought he just f'ed your floors up, which for the inexperienced is pretty common and fixable. But the rest of the work...just wow.


Edit: missed your post above Matty.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Right now we're just mad at ourselves for not checking this guy out properly beforehand, and I think we're embarrassed that someone hosed us like this. But as I've said earlier we have a guy that's going get set it straight for us. Anyone ever see the show 'Holmes on Homes'? This is what the contractor we hired for the kitchen is like. He takes great pride in his work and he genuinely wants to help us out and get this fixed and done right. So we're in good hands now, but this was a tough lesson to learn.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

Man, the person who recommended him should at the very least get verbally assaulted. You don't do what they did to your worst enemy. Did your neighbor hate your guts or something?

Re: burned by a contractor
 

I really don't know what went wrong because the neighbor's floors are fine.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

BTW a suit will be paid out by insurance, so DEF take him to court.

Re: burned by a contractor
 

One of the many fallouts from the housing bubble is that a lot of people who really should be sweeping up on a construction site or digging ditches wound up owning their own businesses and some of them actually made money for a while. Party's over now, though.