[Shockdoc]

What is the best exit strategy in telling a GC you no longer want to work for him. They scheduled my final for moving day. The ho refused to pay for the installation of his used and custom fixtures. The laborers left a nail ridden plank in the driveway costing me a new tire. On top of it the GC molested the numbers of the final payment and short changed me. At the end of the day I ended up telling his customer where he can go. Ive got two others I have no interest in returning to. A landlord cut me a check to start a complete rewire of a multi use building so at least I have work without the games of getting paid.

 

[MTW]

It sounds like you work for the bottom of the barrel GC's. No, scratch that, they've beneath the bottom of the barrel.

 

[99cents]

Why do you need an exit strategy? Take your lumps and move on. If a GC doesn't want to use you anymore, he quits sending you quote requests. If you don't want to work with a GC anymore, you quit bidding his jobs.

Not all jobs are pretty. It's called contracting.

 

[99cents]

If you feel a need to tell a customer where to go, you do it after he pays you, not before.

 

[Shockdoc]

If you feel a need to tell a customer where to go, you do it after he pays you, not before.

Homeowner made it clear he wasn't paying after the work was done. He expected me to repair a couple used wac fluorescent uc lights he had me install. I laughed in his face . He said he paid a lot of money for them. I mentioned whoever sold them to him seen him coming down the street.

 

[NC Plc]

Well, you take them to court for money owed and find other work. See if you can find more work through the landlord while you look for a much better GC...

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Homeowner made it clear he wasn't paying after the work was done. He expected me to repair a couple used wac fluorescent uc lights he had me install. I laughed in his face . He said he paid a lot of money for them. I mentioned whoever sold them to him seen him coming down the street.

Did you not get paperwork signed for the extra work?

Sorry to say this Shock (because I like you), but IMO this problem was avoidable if you pushed the paper harder (yea, it's a pain and a handshake or promise is easier).

 

[99cents]

Homeowner made it clear he wasn't paying after the work was done. He expected me to repair a couple used wac fluorescent uc lights he had me install. I laughed in his face . He said he paid a lot of money for them. I mentioned whoever sold them to him seen him coming down the street.

Did you have a change order?

 

[99cents]

Do yourself a favor, Shock. Try being nice for a month. If that doesn't work, go back to being belligerent.

 

[480sparky]

Homeowner made it clear he wasn't paying after the work was done. He expected me to repair a couple used wac fluorescent uc lights he had me install. I laughed in his face . He said he paid a lot of money for them. I mentioned whoever sold them to him seen him coming down the street.

Wait.... Wat? The HO says he's not paying.... then has the balls to demand you do MORE work?

My exit strategy would be simple: Pack up and leave immediately. No discussion needed.

 

[NC Plc]

Wait.... Wat? The HO says he's not paying.... then has the balls to demand you do MORE work?

My exit strategy would be simple: Pack up and leave immediately. No discussion needed.

Don't just leave though, take them to court. Make them pay for the work done then charge them an inflated hourly wage for the time you have to spend preparing documents for court, travel time, the time you spend in court, etc.

 

[480sparky]

Don't just leave though, take them to court. Make them pay for the work done then charge them an inflated hourly wage for the time you have to spend preparing documents for court, travel time, the time you spend in court, etc.

Nice knee-jerk reaction, but the world doesn't operate like that.

You can't sue someone for any more than what they've agreed to. If they were supposed to pay you $5,000 and don't, you can't just say, "Well, I'm gonna charge 'em $500 for preparing documents, $750 for travel time, $3000 for lost income going to court......" That will get tossed out right away. They only way you can collect such things is to have it in writing, and the person agree to pay them if you do take them to court.

Piling on all those 'extras' is one way to lose everything. If the courts don't allow severability, then you automatically lose.

 

[NC Plc]

Nice knee-jerk reaction, but the world doesn't operate like that.

You can't sue someone for any more than what they've agreed to. If they were supposed to pay you $5,000 and don't, you can't just say, "Well, I'm gonna charge 'em $500 for preparing documents, $750 for travel time, $3000 for lost income going to court......" That will get tossed out right away. They only way you can collect such things is to have it in writing, and the person agree to pay them if you do take them to court.

Piling on all those 'extras' is one way to lose everything. If the courts don't allow severability, then you automatically lose.

It depends on the judge and the state. The money you sue for is called damages and you only have to prove you are owed what you are asking for. Also you should look into the limits, if they owed you 5 grand it would not be smart to try to pile on 3 grand and claim it as lost income. ;p

 

[FrunkSlammer]

You can't just make up numbers and sue.. well I suppose you can, but you won't get them and more likely you'll get nothing.

You sue for breach of contract. Hopefully there was a written contract because a verbal contract is much more difficult to prove.

 

[NC Plc]

You can't just make up numbers and sue.. well I suppose you can, but you won't get them and more likely you'll get nothing.

You sue for breach of contract. Hopefully there was a written contract because a verbal contract is much more difficult to prove.

It all depends on how your contract is written up, yea. I'd have a lawyer write up some lengthy, wordy contracts that include things like that personally. I mean, the way some people write up their so called contracts it's honestly no surprise they get screwed.

You know, I honestly didn't think anyone still tried to do verbal contracts. I always operate by the idea that if it is not in writing it doesn't exist.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

You know, I honestly didn't think anyone still tried to do verbal contracts.

Those were the good old days.

I always operate by the idea that if it is not in writing it doesn't exist.

Although if you have witnesses a verbal contract can be binding (w/out witnesses someone can fib), I agree with your operational parameters.

 

[99cents]

So you would sue a guy for refusing to pay for hanging a couple of undercabinet lights?

Shock, you need to decide who you are working for. If the GC hires you to do a job then you work for the GC until job completion and the permit is closed. That includes change orders. You don't do part of the job for the GC and part of the job for the HO. That just creates confusion, hard feelings and arguments over who is paying the bill.

If the HO wants you to come back a year from now to do something else, that's different.

 

[MHElectric]

Some people seem to have the disappearing act down pat, others it seems to bother.

I say dont do anything rash until it is very clear that no one will be paying you anything to finish out. Even if a partial payment was coming, I would strongly consider my options before I bailed. You dont want to lose money, but you dont want a hot mess on your hands later when you could just bite the bullet and clean it up now.

Tough to say. If i was getting stiffed, I wouldnt do one bit of work until somebody cut me a check, regardless of the stage of the job. If someone was just trying to get over on me for some extras, id probably just finish out the job according to the contract (or to pass inspection) and leave them high and dry with their extras. Id rather get most of my money than none of it, if that was the situation you were looking at. Whatever you do, CYA.

 

[Bootss]

front load the hell out of your progress payments, have your paperwork in order.

 

[99cents]

front load the hell out of your progress payments, have your paperwork in order.

On renovations I normally do 80% on rough-in and 20% on final. 20% barely covers my costs for completion. Seems to work.