Damn Florida Pool Contractors...

[AAP]

Ok, all I wanted was a simple job of putting fiber optic lights inside my pool and fountain wall. Sounds simple huh? Ok, I go ahead and pay my $1400.00 and the contractor (actually all five that I priced with) said it was a four day job. It was suppose to start on a Monday and end Thursday. Ok, four days isn't bad. Come Thursday I return home from Dallas and NO WORK HAS BEEN DONE. I call and he says "still waiting for the fiber optics to come in." Ok, they come in the next week, they start on them. And lo and behold, tell me "we got to drain your pool to do this". I am like WTF? The lights are going around the rim, not the bottom. Anyway, I agree to drain it 2 feet lower, thats all. So that happens. Next up, I come home the following day and find 4 (yes!! fucking four!!!) of my screened in panels around the pool and patio busted through. I am told "my worker tripped and fell through the screen." WTF??? How many fucking times can you trip and fall through 4 (yes!! fucking four!!) seperate screened in panels? Man, this must have been like a three stooges fall or something. Anyway, here is the kicker, I am told "we can repair that for you fairly cheap. Like $900 or so." I am like "dude, you are going to fix it anyway or either deduct the cost of repairs off your work invoice. Which by the way, you said I would have my pool finished in 4 days GURANTEED!!"

Now get this, his reply "that GURANTEE is just for special conditions only". So I tell him that I will have my credit card company reverse the charge on my card and I will be billing him for the screen repairs. He storms off after gathering up his two workers. And then has the nerve to call and ask me why can;t I have my home owners insurance to take care of the cost of the screens. I just tell him I am having no more contact with him and I will be contacting the small claims court and BBB. I had about 30 calls from him yesterday and this morning, he shows up at 8am. saying he wants to finish his job and he will only charge me $500 for the total job, screen replacement and everything if only I pay the $500 in cash up front.

Can you believe this sht?

 

[karde]

Wow, sounds like a big fuckup.

You have every right to make him pay for the damage he caused.

 

[Warik]

Fuck that man... never pay for work up front. Get a lawyer and have the fuck pay you for the damages, then use the money to hire someone COMPETENT to do the job and the repairs for you.

Never pay for shit up front either... my dad had sliding mirrored closet doors installed in my room and new kitchen counters/cabinets and those guys had to wait until we inspected and were satisfied before they even saw a dime. Believe me, the fact that you might spend hours working and not get paid a dime is quite possibly the best encouragement one could have to do a good job.

-Warik

 

[DcupSheepNipples]

Always, have a contract covering the time, price of the job and a right to terminate clause.

 

[Golfer18--old]

Fuck that shit, you dont need that bullshit, kick his ass in court. Dont go crazy and punch him or then you will loose in the end, take him to court and fuck him like your bitch.

 

[AAP]

I will post some pics after dinner of what the damaged screens look like. I mean, imagine four seperate screens two on top of two being "fallen" through. Fuck that. My fountain wall is directly in front of the screen and if the dude fell through from the back, then he would have busted his head wide open, if he fell through from the front, he would have had to be standing in the pool. And no one was wet when I was there.

 

[May1010]

Are you sure he's a licensed contractor? Double check his license number if you have it.

 

[AAP]

Yes, he is licensed.

I will post those pics when I return from dinner and the club.

 

[musclebrains]

Ugh. I brought a major renovation of the upper floor of my house to a screeching halt when an architect and contractor started pulling shit on me that cost thousands. You made the right decision. Cut your losses and find someone else.

 

[Laserdude]

Screw him, he has no contractor's bond or he would just have it fixed for you. I own my own company and you can better believe that I would file a claim on my insurance instantly if I had fucked up on something like that. This guy needs to reported to the state instantly, do it now before he can cover his ass. This is fraud, plain and simple.

 

[talonracer]

That is horrible, report him to the BBB NOW and then take him to court. Plus telll as many people as you can about his "services". Document everything and take pictures. This dork won't stand a chance in court if he's stupid enough to go.........and yea call your credit card company and dispute that charge they WILL help you with that. This shit is unreal!!

 

[AAP]

Shit, I just realized. I am not able to post a pic. Maybe I could email them to someone.