In Response to Heather and Fabian from the Annex
As everyone knows there are many “contractor†horror stories, what many people never hear is the other side, the “client†horror story. This is where I take my hat off to Homestars.com for providing a space for not only our great clients to post fantastic reviews, but we as contractors are provided the space to tell our great stories as well ….and sometimes a bad one. And this is a sweet one!
You are correct Heather & Fabian, I do respond to my reviews, because my relationship with my clients does not end at the final pay check, and when someone has the kindness to say a few words about us, the least I can do is respond.
This project started out on an excellent foot, we were hired to gut and renovate a basement bathroom, which we did with pleasure….and turned out beautiful. While renovating the bathroom the clients asked us to rip up the old floor, level it with self levelling concrete and then supply and install new laminate. Again, done and looks beautiful.
Next, while still working on the flooring, the client mentioned he was thinking he wanted to do the trim install, but how much would we charge him? No problem with the price, and we were enlisted to do the trim work, again beautifully done.
At this point we are charging for extras, getting paid for extras ….but not paid for the completion payment from the original contract (the bathroom) yet it was completed weeks before. When the home owner was asked, they requested to keep the final payment until all of the projects were complete……….this is where we should have stopped, but my trusting nature steered me wrong.
Shortly after finishing the trim the clients requested a quote to repaint the basement, received it; accepted it and we were underway. (And we were still waiting for money)
Once completing the painting, the client informed us that we were to stop work for a week as they were having windows installed. I personally informed the client that we would have trouble squeezing them back in after stopping for a week, as we are on many other projects and all the extra work; although appreciated was already causing delays on other sites, but we would do our best to get back to them on our first opening.
5 WEEKS LATER, after many calls back and forth they finally install the windows. This is all happing during the highest point of the season, and created havoc. We explained to the clients that we were not going to be able to get back into their project for at least 2 weeks, and we were back within 2 ½.
From here, everything went to hell in a handbag! From this point on nothing we did seemed to satisfy the client, and here is where I realized they were attempting to screw us out of monies owed. When I asked for the previous money and was denied, I packed up my crew and refused to return until we were paid the old money from the prior projects which were complete, and beautiful. As the work done from part #2 on was priced as extras from the original contract, there was no reason to old back money on completed projects.
I left many voicemails, emails and even came to the house to settle up, but we know now that we will never see the money owed, and that the client’s full intention was to stick the contractor with the bill.
Again, I thank Homestars.com for supplying a site which allows us to rebuttal, and I hope this helps someone out there not to get played by clients…..there are just as many bad clients as good, maybe there should be a review system for clients as well as companies!
