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First written estimate in....

12 years ago

We have been trying to get the 3 written estimates that are needed to file a complaint with our local consumer complaint board. It has been tough. We have had people come and decline our job, but only after burning a few weeks with no answer. We have been stood up and also had several who never called back (without knowing any details of our job). You'd think the economy was humming right along based on our lack of contractor enthusiasm.

In any case, we owe the gc almost $1,900, paid to fix the poor installation of our icemaker to the tune of $200 and now have a bill of $4,750 to deal with. Basically, it will cost over $3k more than we owe the gc to make our house ok. That does not even include the $1k to bury our propane tank because the line was drawn to the side of our house on the corner, which is against code. That is the cheapest option to get us a working stove in our kitchen.

On the bright side, we qualify for small claims court and won't have to eat any overage past their limit. Yippee.

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Comments (5)

ginny20
12 years ago
You poor thing. This is awful, and it's getting really old for you. Have a drink.

Is it possible that your former GC has connections with these others, and he's got you on some kind of black list? Or maybe they are worried because you had problems with someone else, and they're afraid to take it on? I'm not saying this is any reflection on you - you are entirely in the right here. (I remember your earlier posts.) I just wonder if these others are being less than helpful for their own reasons, whether nefarious or just lame. I could be totally off base, but you're right, it does seem odd, and it must be so frustrating. You'd think someone would want some work.
Adrienne2011
12 years ago
It has taken this long just to get ONE? I hope they're not talking to each other and unfairly and incorrectly assuming bad things about you. I'm giving you a virtual hug right now.
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chrisk327
12 years ago
I've seen your other posts so I do remember the story. Good luck.

I would say that I'm not surprised about your issues finding someone to finish up anothers work. I had a similar issue with one trade and contractors were very squirelly and didn't want to touch it, to the point of if the old guy asks who finished up, we aren't supposed to tell him...

Its probably not what you want to hear, but it could be worse regarding the price. Hopefully when you pick the new guy he can rectify everything to make it the job you envisioned from the start.
dianalo
Original Author
12 years ago
The price is about mid-range of what I expected, so no real shock there.
I don't think they collude around here as I am in a very populated area and they compete with each other. If it were a small remote town, that would be different.
I have gotten no response from a few companies when I did not spell out what needed doing and just left my name and number, mentioning that I had work to do and needed a contractor.
The one who stood us up knew it was a cleanup after someone else's mess. I mentioned that it was a good amount of work and that the others were already out of the picture. This guy was a handyman, so you'd think the whole "no job's too small" mantra that most advertise would mean something.

I try my best not to sound bitter and to remain upbeat when I talk to them. I just don't see many as go-getters. I figure the house will do the talking about the lack of quality of the previous contractors.

I have no choice about giving up because we have leaks in our roof that need fixing. I just need a few written estimates to witness it is legitimately in need of repair. I want to follow procedures exactly to improve my chances of a good outcome. I'll keep at it, but at least I have a starting point on price. It is harder when you don't know. I had figured from $3k - $7k so this is almost dead center of that.
honorbiltkit
12 years ago
Hang in there, dianalo, for the principle as well as the compensation.

Is the homeowner or the contractor responsible for seeing that no building codes are violated? Whether or not you could actually make your gc's professional existence harder after the money thing is dispensed with, even fantasizing about revenge for egregious conduct is pretty cathartic (although not so sweet as actually making trouble for that that stinker).

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