Thanks again, you are so helpful in this stressful time. I will absolutely
not pay them tomorrow-until the work is complete. I was trying to be a "nice
guy" but it didn't work. I want to think that people are honest and that you
can trust their word, but I see that's not true many times. I'm glad your
situation was resolved, now I have to get my courage up for tomorrow!
Thanks. Sis
PS I promise not to make a habit of writing to this group with questions
like this, since they are kind of off -topic, and I apologize, but I
thought since so many of us want nice kitchens, others may have had similar
experiences.
"Vox Humana" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Sis" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Thanks so much for all the good advice, I really appreciate it so much.
I
> > haven't made the final(second half) of my payment yet, and will try to
get
> > an adjustment on the bill from the kitchen place. Also, isn't it best to
> > wait to make a final payment until all work is completed? The trim isn't
> > installed yet for a new, larger window I had installed in my kitchen and
> the
> > guy from the kitchen place said he will collect all the remainder that I
> owe
> > except for that fee from me on Monday. Do you think I can tell them to
> wait
> > until all the work on the contract is completed,since they may take
longer
> > to do it without that incentive? Thanks, again for your advice. Sis
>
>
> ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PAY THE FINAL INSTALLMENT UNTIL THE WORK IS DONE!. You
> already have issues and who knows what might happen with the rest of the
> work. I have two horror stories about similar situations. The first was
a
> kitchen remodel that my mother had done by Lowe's. They required payment
in
> full before the work started and she paid the entire thing by check. They
> took a reasonable amount of time to get all the cabinets and appliances
in.
> The subcontractor who did the actual work was a rip-off artist. He came
in
> with a couple of high school kids and tried to do a rush job. Things
> weren't installed properly and the wiring was done in a very sloppy and
> dangerous manner. He actually threw a bunch of expensive millwork into
the
> trash heap and carted it away. When I brought this to his attention he
said
> he didn't usually install the trim work! The stuff had to be ordered and
> the job dragged on partially finished for weeks. The faucet leaked and
had
> to be replaced three times. The garbage disposal leaked. The exhaust
> system wasn't installed right. Some of the cabinet doors had to be
> replaced. They damaged the oven when they installed it. They screwed
around
> with the flooring saying that they couldn't get the adhesive for the sheet
> vinyl. I called Armstrong who said that they had shipped the stuff weeks
> before. The nightmare just continued on and on, and I won't bore you with
> the details.
>
> The second situation was with my kitchen. I had a small kitchen fire and
> had to have some renovations. The people who came in to do the work
turned
> out to be real hacks. They ruined as much as they fixed. Fortunately the
> insurance company made out the check in both my name and the contractor's
> name in the full amount of the services. They started a very minor
> renovation job the first of August and by mid October things had come to a
> halt. I refused to accept the horrendous job they had done and was
demanding
> compensation for the things they had damaged. The contractor hadn't been
> paid a penny and threatened to sue me. I threatened to counter-sue and
ask
> for punitive damages. The contractor decided to settle. We went to
> arbitration. I had a stack of documents because I learned my lesson from
my
> mother's situation. I also had pictures and statements from contractors
to
> back-up my figures for what it would take to finish the job and correct
> their damages. The contractor ended up taking a $4500 reduction in his
fee.
> If it would have gone to court I am confident that I would have done
better,
> but who needs that hassle.
>
> The bottom line is not to pay until the job is done and done right. The
> contractor my refuse to continue work and threaten you with legal action
but
> you have to stick to your position. Any reasonable business person will
> want to do the job to your satisfaction. I think that business has become
> so bottom-line oriented that people will cut any corner possible to make
an
> extra dollar. Most people don't want to "cause trouble" so they just
allow
> themselves to be victimized. After a while, the contractor's standard of
> quality drops because people will accept inferior workmanship. At the
same
> time, there are people who are honest and reputable who will do a good
job.
> Sometimes when things go wrong you need to keep a cool head and insist on
> talking to someone who can help you. Often you have to work you way up
the
> ladder to get help. Be persistent and have clear expectations. Tell them
> what you think is fair. Put you position in writing and ask them to do
the
> same.
>
>