Mr. Contractor (10/1/2015)


We purchased our first house in 1990. This was by no means a new house. It was built prior to 1960 making it over 40 years old. Therefore, it came as no surprise that the dwelling needed some maintenance. My first do-it-yourself project was an attempt to replace our heater's thermostat with a modern programmable HP model. I had difficulties from the start. It turned out that I had purchased a defective thermostat. No problem, I would simply replace the original and tackle this problem another day. If only life were so simple. After re-connecting the original thermostat I could not get the heater to fire up. It seemed that I had lost the electrical connection to the heater. It being a cold winter's day I decided not to play games. I would simply call an electrician and hire them for the installation. I let my fingers do the walking through the yellow pages (remember that) and called the electrician with the largest advertisement. They must have seen me coming. The first thing they did was take a stroll to my circuit breaker box and try to sell me on myriad of reasons why the house required a new box and that it needed to re-wired so it could be up to code. Something didn't smell right and it wasn't the gas. Fortunately, I called for a second opinion. When I realized that I was nearly taken, I called an old (how does 80 sound) electrician from my childhood neighborhood. He fixed the problem. It turned out that the pilot light was out.

When hiring a contractor my advice is to follow the golden rule of business - buyer beware. Below are some of my experiences with contractors:

  1. Roofing Shingles
    • Action: called three roofers.
    • Outcome:
      • Roofer #1 - Did not return several phone calls.

      • Roofer #2 - Returned phone call but was a no show on the day he said he would evaluate the roofing work.

      • Roofer #3 - Returned phone call, came at a different day then he said to evaluate the roof, never sent me the estimate.

  2. New Wooden Backyard Fence.
    • Action: Called several fence contractors. All but one of the contractors required money down.

    • Outcome: Hired the one contractor who accepted full payment at the end of the job even though he was more expensive. Shortly after, one of the other contractors called and said that he could have waived the down payment (speak now or forever hold your tongue).

  3. New Tiled kitchen Floor.
    • Action: Called contractor who was doing a similar job for a neighbor. After agreeing on a price we settled that I would notify Mr. C when I purchased the tiles and grout for the job.

    • Outcome: After acquiring the materials I notified Mr. C and the following conversation took place:

      • Me: Hello Mr. C, the tile and grout are in my basement when can you start the job?

      • Mr. C: That's great! Now we need to talk money.

      • Me: I thought we already agreed on a price.

      • Mr. C: Yes, but now I need $400 to start.

      • Me: Why? I already purchased the tile and grout.

      • Mr. C: It's for other supplies.

      • Me: What other supplies?

      • Mr. C: Nails, plywood, etc.

      • Me: $400 for nails and wood, Fugget about it!

  4. Service Cable. Our electrical service cable was extremely frayed and in need of replacement.
    • Action: Called Mr. C and was told he would be there the following Saturday morning.

    • Outcome: Mr. C was a no show but decided to arrive unannounced the following week. Infuriated at his ignorance, I made sure I pumped him with every stupid electrical question I could think of with no intention of hiring him. A week later I employed a contractor for half the price of Mr. C.

  5. It's a Gas. We decided to warm up our basement with a portable gas heater. This would be a big job because the heater would need to be vented to the outside, requiring a large hole to be cut through the base of our house.
    • Action: We visited several show rooms and finally picked the heater we wanted and scheduled a home visit to have measurements taken.

    • Outcome: : Much to my surprise, Mr. C arrived promptly, took all the measurements, and patiently answered our questions. I was sold and decided to give him the job. He said he would send me a written price quote. One week passed with no price quote. Finally I decided to call the store first thing in the morning. Below is our conversation:

      • Me: Hello, Mr. C measured my basement for a heater and was supposed to send me an estimate.

      • Clerk 1: I'm sorry, it must have gotten lost on his desk. I'll find it and call you back.

      • Later that same afternoon

      • Me: Hello, I spoke to you earlier and you said that you would call me when you found Mr. C's estimate.

      • Clerk 1: Yes it was right here, now where did I put it. I had it a minute ago. I'll call you right back.

      • The next morning

      • Me: Hello, I called twice yesterday and the man I spoke to was supposed to call me back with Mr. C's estimate.

      • Clerk 2: I'm sorry; Clerk 1 is not in yet. I'll have him call you as soon as he arrives.
      • Two hours later

      • Me: Hello, Clerk 1 was supposed to call me when he arrived for work.

      • Clerk 3: He stepped out of the office; may I take a message?

      • Me: Excuse me sir, your voice sounds familiar, are you Mr. C?

      • Clerk 3 aka Mr. C: Yes, how may I help you.

      • Me: You can start by giving me the estimate that you promised a week ago.

      • Mr. C: Yes, I'll send it right out. What is your address?

      • Me: Sorry, I've been down that road. How about first you read it to me over the phone.

      • Mr. C: The price is $3,000 and we require 20% down.

      • Me: How about I pay you in full at the end of the job?

      • Mr. C: Maybe we can agree on 15%.

      • Me: I'd rather not give you any money up front considering the difficulty I had just trying hire you in the first place. I can't imagine what it would be like to contact you after your holding my money.

      • Mr. C: I see your point. Let me consider it and I'll get back to you (never to be heard from again).

Epilogue

We were able to find another contractor who did our kitchen floor with no money down and at a cheaper price. At the end of the job the contractor told us never provide money up front. The heater job also had a happy ending. We found another dealer to install our gas heater and have had a cozy basement ever since.

Dealing with contractors can be difficult. It is important to remain professional and not to provide money up front. Red flags should be raised whenever you are having difficulty trying to hire a contractor. Imagine what it could be like after they have your money. Through persistence you can usually find a reputable contractor who will accept payment at the end of the job.

In spite of the complaints aforementioned, I have done business with many reliable contractors. Feel free to contact me for referrals.

by Ray Pascali