Welcome to the world of the A-hole. There's lots of these types out there. 40% of the regular charge is being very accomodating. I would have done the same thing. In terms of what you can do about it... probably nothing that isn't illegal.

Yeah, be careful with retribution. This jerk immediately brought up his lawyer. Even though he was in the wrong a jerk like that would sue you at the drop of a hat if he even suspected you did something, anything!
Small claims court is your best bet. And follow through with it! He will not want to be inconvenienced with a trivial thing like that and you'll get your satisfaction.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Just keep a very long memory. I was cheated on a $50 bill many years ago, but never forgot it. Lo and behold 20 years after the fact who appears before a city board that I sat on but the guy who wouldn't pay. Not even sure he remembered me. Seems that he had a zoning issue with an apartment that he had put in without proper permits. I knew a way that he probably could have gotten the apt. accepted by the city, but I just sat there like a dummy. The end result was the city would not let up and made him remove the apartment. The loss of the apt at that time was worth about $50,000 and would be $100,000 today. A very expensive cheat on his part. If you are in a small area, keep him in mind. You never know how you might be able to help him some day.

i live in a small area so a situation like what coolvt described would not be uncommon.

if any one remembers the contractor we had doing some work (including elec) a while back who totally botched it and didnt want to fix... well he is going before the town board right now for something, and on the town board is my neighbor who knows all about it, as well as the town supervisor that i had to get involved to resolve the situation...

just goes to show that it works the other way too (no disrespect intended to all the honest hard working guys out there)

I do not suggest vengeance of any kind. One extra trip: Chalk it up to educating the customer and forget about it. But do not accept any more work from that customer. Let him get a different contractor. Perhaps that one will be as sleazy as the customer. They will deserve each other.

bus driver is right...go cut his wires and find out how long you keep your license. Just your luck, a neighbor has a security cam that would catch you. If had been me, I probably would have made the call gratis for customer service reasons. But since you warned him you would have to charge him, and tried to walk him through the process, prior to coming out on the call, he owes the bill. Once he brought up the attorney, I would have billed him full boat. None of this discounted stuff. But if push comes to shove, they are going to want to know why the fuse blew. That could come back and bite you...regardless of reason. Did you determine that reason?

Send him the bill and ask him who his lawyer is. Then contact the lawyer and tell him you understand he doesn't plan to pay it. Tell the lawyer you plan to put a mechanics' lien on the house, but you'd rather not waste everyone's time and money, and maybe the lawyer can speak to his client about it.

Thanks for all the comments guys. It helps when people can relate to your story ( even when you are on the other side of things like radioguy4ever).
I'm not the type of person to go and do something malicious in retaliation like cutting someones service but I was very frustrated and it certainly crossed my mind and I even had people offer to do so for me, but I could never do it. There are some that would do it in a heartbeat when/if it happened to them though.
Just to shed some light on the situation; I'm an electrician out of work and just doing a couple side jobs here and there to bring a little money in. I don't charge much and I work out of my SUV. I let every customer know this and they usually hire me because I can offer them quality work, proffesional attitude, and a low price.
When I went over to diagnose the problem I also made sure that it was nothing I did that blew the fuse ( opened up boxes,checked connections, etc). The reason why the guy wasn't going to pay is because he had just bought this house and basically didn't have a lot of money left over. He was going to have me fix it for free no matter what. When I left his house that night after the incident I encountered his wife who had just pulled up and I told her what was going on hoping she had some comon sense and wasn't a dirt bag like her husband. She nonchalantly said that she had my # and would be in touch, just blowing me off really. Basically I think they already had a conversation the night before about how they were going to get me back to there house to fix the problem for free wether it was my fault or not.
I don't think it's worth my time to seek retribution, but it does feel good to vent and worn others of the dangers of not paying.

i would have written him the bill right there. if he refused to pay, then undo the work you did and leave it like it was.

regardless i would never do work for them again unless they paid in full UP FRONT.

In NC, only a licensed electrician has any chance of the courts deciding in his favor in an action to collect for electrical work performed. If you do not have an active license, it may make a difference in your State.

Manchild, you still haven't told up what you found that was blowing the fuse.

coolvt,
Since the homeowner had just bought the house he was having a couple things done before he moved in seeing that it would be easier and cheaper that way. He had guys working around the house using equipment (not sure what) and he told me the workers were the ones that discovered the fact the outlets were not working. Just in case anyone was wondering I am a newly licensed master electrician

If you're certain the blown fuse wasn't from anything you did, send the bill. Full charge. Every dime. When he doesn't pay, take his butt to small claims. Once he finds out what that judgement can do to him, he'll pay.

I just don't understand this mentality. Try going to a doctor in this area. You WILL pay all charges up front before you ever see the doctor. Damn it, these people are professionals that deserve to be paid for their services. They have people they have to pay and bills that need to be paid too. This behaviour amazes me. Teach the idiot a lesson he won't forget and save the next guy he tries to screw the same headaches.

I wouldn't be in the situation of not paying so this really wouldn't apply, but:

"I could very easily pull his meter while he wasn't home and cut the wires going to the panel taking less than 5 min and costing you a whole lot more than a service charge fee."

If I found you doing that on my property, I would put two in your chest and one in your head. And it would be legal for me to do so.

Hypothetical: Owner hires Contractor to do work in Owner's home, pre-paying for materials. Midway through, it becomes apparent that Contractor just doesn't have it--the work is shoddy, tools and debris (empty soda bottles, rags, clothing) left lying around when he leaves at the end of the day, and some serious (non-electrical) safety concerns besides. Owner confronts Contractor and tells him some of the work will need to be redone, and gently but firmly that his sloppiness is unacceptable in Owner's home. Contractor gets PO'd and walks, telling Owner to get someone else to finish the job, and that he'll bill for the work he's done.

Owner now has an unfinished job, some of which will have to be torn out and redone at his expense, and an unusable space in the mean time.

Should Owner A) pay the bill in full, B) Pay part of the bill, deducting what it costs to fix the job, C) Pay part of the bill, deducting what it costs to fix AND FINISH the job, or D) not pay it at all?

gblentz, that is in NO WAY the same as what happened here. the job was done correctly from what we can tell. the owner was given multiple instructions on the phone to check for blown fuses, calls abck saying it was not that and to come fix it. he was told in advance tha the would hav eto pay, and he agreed to that by telling him to come on. then after he got there and FIXED THE BLOWN FUSE, the owner threatened to get his lawyer involved. blown fuses,tripped breakers, etc are normal maintenance issues that should be handled by the HO. if the ciruit was faulty and resulting in the OCP tripping, then THAT would be a N/C call. but if you put in a 20 amp circuit and the owner puts 30 amps load on it, it is his fault, not yours.

david, i dont think qblentz was saying that manchild was in the wrong, just giving the hypothetical situation about weather or not a person should pay in a situation like that.

personally, i would pay his bill, have all the work up to that point documented by a professional then hire someone to finish the job. then, when i get the bill from the new electrician, whatever the difference is between that and the orig amount i would go to small claims over. i would also file a report with the better business bureau as well.

if contractor A quoted $5000 to complete the job, and quit halfway through and charged you $3000 then contractor b came and quoted $4000 to fix shody work and finish job, i would sue for the $2000 difference.

davidandkasie: My hypothetical situation is in context with the thread title. I wasn't speaking to the OP or his situation... really not sure how you could read it to imply that I was.

i don't see how it relates, you post concerns a contractor performing sub par work and then not finishing the job and you have to call in a new guy. the OP was work performed properly and to completion, then the HO tripping the circuit protection and not bothering to even check it, instead blaming it on the electrician. no where near the same thing and as far as i can tell not in context of the thread.

SoThe idea of small claims sounds good on the surface, but if you win you will only get a "judgment." So you get a worthless piece of paper if the person doesn't want to pay. If the person doesn't pay the judgment and you know your way around the law, you can file to garnish (attach) the person't wages. If you don't know how, you pay a lawyer to do it. If the person is self employed, forget it, you won't get any garnished wages.
I would suggest to any elct., plumber, carpenter, etc that if you get stiffed and can prove money is owed, that you hire an attorney to place a mechanic's lien on the house. Tell the attorney that you want copies of every single paper filed. With this paperwork you should be able to file any future mech. liens yourself. Just put the forms on your computer and fill in the blanks for the next one.
In some areas the homeowner will not even be notified of this lien. Think of what is owed as part of your retirement program. Over the years interest will be added to what is owed and probably at a higher rate than you could invest the money.
The point is, this debtor will never be able to sell this property without paying the lien + interest. If you would rather have the money right away, just be sure that he knows that lien has been filed. I have friends who have done this time after time. (Check your local laws, the proceedure may vary).

Mechanics Lien time.
After it is issued and recorded be sure to send him a copy.

If you want to play chicken a little bit, send him a copy of the form before filing it, along with a bill registered return receipt.
Be sure to add all these costs to the bill, and give him 7 calender days to pay with a certified check.
If you do not get a check, file the lien.

Manchild, Welcome to the world of an electrical contractor. This happens all the time with GFCI's and arc-faults. You can tell the owner whats wrong all day long but it just doesn't matter. Until you go to the homeowner and actually show him what happened and how to reset the breaker or GFCI they just don't care. Charge him and you will never do work with him or anyone he knows again. Do it once or twice for free and he will love ya. Just remember it and make it up the next time you work for him. I just let them know that if I have to come out and reset the breaker again I'll have to charge them because it is out of your control what gets plugged in or shut off.

coolvt, i have to disagree with you about small claims court. when a judgment is entered in their name they will NEVER be able to get a mortgage, refinance, HELOC or similar with that judgment outstanding.

we had a claim against someone we lent money to. we won, filed. they were unemployed, so garnish was out. they moved and we could never find them again.

3 years later, we ger a check out of the blue for the amount owed to us, from an escrow account issued check when they had gone to get a mortgage.

Radioguy,
I apologize. You are correct that many banks would frown on finding a judgment. Others let it pass if the amount is small and the credit reports do list the amount.
I tend to remember many of the judgments that I got on past tenants for unpaid rent. It never affected them that much because they weren't buying realestate and car financing companies don't think it's that big of a deal.
Here's another interesting road. If someone owes you money and you figure you will never get it, at the end of any tax year you can file a form 1099 Misc. with the IRS. Just fill it in as "debt forgiven" and the dollar amount. This now becomes taxable income to the debtor. The tax due on this isn't the big deal. If the IRS discovers that the debtor has not reported it as income, the IRS often does a complete audit. Many people do not like the IRS digging through their business. I once recd. a pretty ugly telephone call from a guy that I filed a 1099 on. Once this is done though, you can ever try to collect the debt...it is forgiven.

"So The idea of small claims sounds good on the surface, but if you win you will only get a "judgment." So you get a worthless piece of paper if the person doesn't want to pay"

Lots of options available once you have that piece of paper. You can attach bank accounts, property (real and personal), all sorts of things of value. You can make life miserable for them. A lien on the property is the best though. Once it's there, they can't do a thing with their home. They can't sell, refinance, or add financing. (2nd mtg) They're screwed until it's paid. No lender will go behind them, no title company will issue a title policy committment. You got 'em by the short hairs. It just might take a while to get it.

Coolvt posted above: Posted by coolvt (My Page) on Fri, Oct 12, 07 at 22:33

"If someone owes you money and you figure you will never get it, at the end of any tax year you can file a form 1099 Misc. with the IRS. Just fill it in as "debt forgiven" and the dollar amount. This now becomes taxable income to the debtor. The tax due on this isn't the big deal. If the IRS discovers that the debtor has not reported it as income, the IRS often does a complete audit. Many people do not like the IRS digging through their business."

This is a little off subject, but would this be an option in dealing with a contractor who has disappeared with the $1500 deposit we gave him to buy materials for a bathroom remodel? I have read many posts where homeowners take contractors to Small Claims Court and even if the Court decides in their favor, they often are unable to collect damages. Or, a truly twisted contractor may file some sort of countersuit costing the homeowner more. This is such a small sum of money (relatively speaking to what I see others have lost) that my husband and I can make it up by doing the work ourselves as we have all of our lives. We just thought that now that we are older, we would treat ourselves to having a job done for us.....Oh, well. P.S. I'm not taking this lightly -- sometimes you just need to know when to cut your losses.

Interesting comments by coolvt about the 1099. In NC, only government entities can garnish wages. A money judgment is good for 10 years in NC. A claim can be made for additional 10 year "renewal" can be made and the only proof needed is the previous unpaid judgment. But the plaintiff must know where the defendant is located in order to file for the renewal. I collected on a judgment that was 17 years old- with interest!

After posting on a couple of more messageboards, I received information from someone who claimed to have worked for the IRS. From information on his post, I looked up information on bad debts from the IRS site and this is what it says:

Topic 453 - Bad Debt Deduction

If someone owes you money that you cannot collect, you may have a bad debt. For a discussion of what constitutes a valid debt, refer to Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses, and Publication 535, Business Expense. To deduct a bad debt, you must have previously included the amount in your income or loaned out your cash. If you are a cash basis taxpayer, as most individuals are, you may not take a bad debt deduction for income you expected to receive but did not because the amount was never included in your income. For a bad debt, you must show that there was an intention at the time of the transaction to make a loan and not a gift.

There are two kinds of bad debts  business and nonbusiness. A business bad debt, generally, is one that comes from operating your trade or business. A business deducts its bad debts from gross income when figuring its taxable income. Business bad debts may be deducted in part or in full.

All other bad debts are nonbusiness. Nonbusiness bad debts must be totally worthless to be deductible. You cannot deduct a partially worthless nonbusiness bad debt. You must establish that you have taken reasonable steps to collect the debt and the debt is worthless. It is not necessary to go to court if you can show that a judgment from the court would be uncollectible. You may take the deduction only in the year the debt becomes worthless. A debt becomes worthless when the surrounding facts and circumstances indicate there is no longer any chance the amount owed will be paid. You do not have to wait until a debt is due to determine whether it is worthless.

A nonbusiness bad debt is reported as a shortÂterm capital loss in Part 1 on Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF). It would be subject to the capital loss limitations. A nonbusiness bad debt deduction requires a separate detailed statement attached to your return.

For more information on nonbusiness bad debts, refer to Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses. For more information on business bad debts, refer to Publication 535, Business Expenses.

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I'm going to use this route. At the very least, as coolvt indicated, it will make the IRS aware of this person and hopefully they will probe into his business.