Just a rant about people who are well off in this "bad" economy taking advantage of others who aren't. I am a very small independent contractor who is (like many others these days) struggling to make ends meet, the last 2 years being the worst I've seen in some time. I just completed a job the other day for a couple who decided not to pay me the final owed on the bill, sighting things that were not on the contract. These people certainly are not in as bad a position as the wife and I are, example: we ran out of heating oil last week and it went into the "teens" last night, I am watching my breath as I type this. As they stay warm in their home, they both have good paying jobs, one of them being a design engineer for one of the more well known defense contractors in the country, and I won't mention any names, as it would certainly be recognizable. They are well off enough to hire several contractors at the same time to do extensive work in their home, me being the smallest of the group. I do blame myself for even taking on the job, but have I become desperate just to keep my head above water, and I have to take on every job that comes my way. To me the worst part is, I was referred to these folks by a very nice couple who are very happy with my work, and I do NOT blame said couple as they have referred quite a bit of work my way over the last 5 years. The amount owed is not a large sum, low enough to keep it out of the court system (wouldn't be worth the lawyers fees to collect), but enough that it really hurts for the amount of hard work I put in on the job, hell, I could have bought some heat for the house. I've come to the realization that they are in the practice of doing this as they have complained to me about every contractor that was or has been working in their home, and apparently it is my turn. One thing is for sure, I am 100% confident that my work is spot on, and that they got a beautiful looking job for the little amount of money they paid, roughly $5000 less than they should have paid, again my fault for continuing the job, I should have just walked off the damn thing. In the 5 years I have been on my own as a business, this is the first time something like this has ever happened to me, unfortunately at a bad time, lesson learned. These people are just plain evil!!! I refer you back to the first sentence of this rant. Well, sorry for bending your ears (or eyes), I just had to get this off my chest.

 

that sucks. you can try small claims court so you can get some cash at least.

i'm not sure how a mechanic's lien works but maybe you can find some free legal advice on how to do that.

 

houses burn down...

 

Sorry to hear, hope things work out and you get paid!

 

That has been recommended to me by some one I know who has been down this road, and I may pursue that avenue. I am trying to resolve this amicably without having it turning into a big pissing contest.

 

 

Thanks for the responses. I am not looking for sympathy or anything or feeling sorry for myself, again my fault for letting it get this far, I just wanted to rant about it as I have lost some sleep over it, that and the fact it is so freaking cold in this house right now . I am an honest contractor who works hard to make people happy with the work I do as I depend on repeat and referral business. You meet all kinds of people in the world, and then there are these folks, people who have money that take advantage of others that don't.

 

I worked with a guy years ago that would always tell me, "nice guys finish last. Dead last". I've learned over the years that he is right but that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop trying to prove him wrong.

It sucks that you are in this situation. I don't own my own company, I've been an employee of my fathers company for almost twenty years now. You might say that I have a vested interest. This kind of thing happens pretty frequently in our company. All you can do is try to get far enough ahead to be able to weather the crap. I remember when I was a kid, and my father was new in business, my family went without things when something like this happened. The people who screw you are too arrogant to see the results of their actions. Like you said, they aren't cold. Hopefully you line up some jobs with honest people who understand the plight of the working man.

Do whatever you have to do to get some heat. Beg, borrow or steal, or finance. You'll get through this. I've seen my fathers company come out the other side many times. Some lesson is learned every single time. I suspect it will continue this way, even when my fathers company is no longer run by my father.

Good luck to you!

 

Thanks wittom. Yeah, I have witnessed this sort of thing working for others and have always dreaded it happening to me, never once thinking that I would be immune from it occurring, it's just the timing of it really sucks. I certainly could have handled it a couple of years ago when things were better and probably would have just blown it off. I really should have read that book, what's it called, "Why S.O.B.'s succeed and nice guys fail in business"

 

So they're refusing to pay for things that they say were "not in the contract"...can you expand on that part?? Did you do work they didn't ask for and then tried to charge them for or something of that nature? Not making accusations, just reading into that sentence.

I'm in a job that requires me to "lawyer" and investigate things from time to time and the funny thing I've learned about stories is there's always two sides.

 

Sorry to hear of your no heat situation, in this cold season I can understand your worries.
Having been in business for 20 years now I know what it's like to deal with homeowners who are better off financially then many. Fortunately for me I work for the same clients every month and after years of building work and personal relationships with them I don't have to deal with getting stiffed by them.
I have also learned that with stories like yours that there are always 3 sides to it. Yours, theres and the unbiased truth.
Although I honestly feel for your situation, I sense alot of poor me, jealousy and sour grapes in your post because these people are warm, toasty and have more money then you.
It is very easy to get envious or jealous of other peoples wealth but except for the few who had it given to them, I have to remember that many of them had to start somewhere, have been through their own financially difficulties and have worked hard to earn the financial cushion they may now have and I respect them for it.
If it weren't for the "well off" people in the world, I wouldn't be enjoying my 20th successful year in business.
Good luck with your situation and as someone said get some heat in your home however you can. Beg, borrow but please avoid the "steal" part.

 

I built pools for 7 years when I was younger, and one thing I noticed that it was always the people well off were the hardest to get money out of once the work was done while the average working family would be standing in their driveway the first day you show up with a huge grin and cheque in hand for the full amount.

 

I had work done on my house by a small contractor who had me buy the material up front and then I paid him the labor after the job was finished.

 

That sucks man. People are cheap these days.

Not everyone who is "well off" in these bad times are cheap. I am by no means well off but I have good sources of income (3 great jobs) and work my azz off everyday and when I see someone who either does good work or works hard at what they do, I always pay in full when its due and usually give a nice tip!

Its sad how people these days cant appreciate hard work when they see it. Keep your head up, the market is turning around and is slowly creeping its way back up!!

D

 

Good point ^^^
If you are going to rely on the good will and integrity of customers the chances are that you will have this problem more than once, and the " he said, he said " situations will keep on coming. The key is to write a comprehensive proposal / contract and review it with the customers and have them sign it before you start. If there are changes or additions as the work progresses, a signed change order is the way to cover your self and the customer. If you are a licensed contractor you have legal remedy and lien rights.

I realize that a lien at this point wouldn't heat the house, and I feel for you. Good luck.