Unpaid Jobs

Bodean

Cali dreamer
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
7,823
Location
San Francisco, Kali
Hi All...

I woke up this morning mad about a $500 job that i was subbed out for....stump grinding.
The client said he wasn't paying, and supposedly cut the scope of the prime in half so the prime decides not to pay me...
My deal is with the prime not the client... and the prime is an old irish guy I've been working with for several years....
so it was a cash/verbal deal....
I guess I got tooken.



Anyone never been paid for a job?

Do I just swallow it and walk on?
I believe there is a location on the tax form that shows "losses"
 
Claim the loss on your taxes. 500.00 might not worth pursuing. You know from experience about court time consumption.
Fire the client.
There has only been a few times I have not been paid by a client. Pissed me off. Blood from a turnip is a waste of time.
 
Thankfully, it's only happened to me a few times in over 30 years in business. I've just written them off as a loss at tax time. None of them have ever been large enough to waste time and resources fighting for.
 
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  • #4
Yeah... The Prime Sean Molloy Concrete is who screwed me...

He was thrilled with $500 for what we did.

The client old 80 yr old dude sat and watched us all day in a chair 3 feet away....
at the end he said... Sean promised me a back hoe to go 4 feet deep... you guys only did 2 feet deep...

I died. haha. Good one.

Then Sean just slowly weaseled out and away for last 6 weeks...

I feel like going John Wayne on him in his own Old Man Irish Bar in front of all his friends....
Silly goose has his address on the internet too.
 
I imagine you could file a Mechanic's Lien on the property but I've never done that and I don't know the details of filing such a lien. As a business owner, I would pay my subs regardless of whether or not I got paid by the client. That's simply the right thing to do.
 
Does San Fran make residents responsible for sidewalk repairs? Do you send him work ever? Could you, even if you won't?


You're lucky if one in 10 happy customers will say something, but expect an unsatisfied customer to tell everyone who will listen.


To this day, 10 years later, I tell people, if asked, never to use Aaron's Tree Service. He stiffed me for getting him out of some jams. What a guy! About $1000.



Would be funny to walk into the bar and loudly say, "Oh, just the guy I've been looking for...my old friend Sean Malloy". Let him decide about his reputation. $500 isn't worth getting into a bar brawl, or a punch in the face from a drunk irishman with concrete work in his blood.




Brett, you can't file a lein without a contract.
 
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  • #7
Paying my subs regardless is what stand up guys do... I explained that to him.

Totally, Sean I plan on starting some yelp etc and even gonna contact all our mutual business contacts too.
Probably go have a pint at his bar and talk some shit too...
Sorry to hear about Aaron's... Lame. Never help expecting... Jeez louise...

True on the lien... I've actually never filed one.

Really, It's no biggie... Just the principle of getting over on me or anyone...
It's hard enough.. now i gotta worry about a "friend" biting me.

Concrete Guy vs. Tree Guy??? Hmmm good one.


Thank you guys.
 
Get a bunch of your friends and go spend an evening at his bar. Run up a big tab (about $500 worth) and then at the end of the night tell him to just take it out of what he owes you. Leave a big tip for the waitress and walk out.
 
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  • #11
....... and


BRIAN Wins!!! Great thinking... I love the depth of experience here at TH.




P.S. Yes, Sean I've turned him onto years of sidewalk jobs.

I just texted him...
he's all riled up saying how rude I am for bringing it up and how he made no money.... :) Jeepers.

In the end.... Soap opera, TelaNovella, water under a ducks back.....
 
I currently have the same situation with a lady from my dad's church. She had me do some work, 3-4 small removals plus some trimming. The house is on a corner and the only access is the driveway which goes over a small ditch (pie shaped lot). The drive already had 37 cracks so I didn't bother mentioning it, never imagined it might be an issue. Well the dirt had eroded under the drive and when I drove over it one corner of a slab cracked off and dropped about an inch. So now she has 38 cracks in the drive. We did the whole job, cleaned up and left (client was at work).

Next day she texts me about the driveway. I said that I did not do anything wrong, I did not screw up, her driveway was already cracked and washed out underneath from erosion. I don't have x-ray vision and there is no way for me to know if her driveway is safe to drive on or not. I did not fail, her driveway failed. I didn't even use the big truck, just the small truck (Chevy 5500). I asked her what she wanted from me, she said "I want it to be safe." I pointed out that it was 6' away from an open ditch with a 2 foot dropoff and no guard rail or anything, so 'safe' is irrelevant. She said she had to think about it and would get back to me.

A week later she called and asked when the stump guy was coming. I said I was waiting to find out if she was going to pay me before I shelled out another $200 on her stumps. She said "I never said I wasn't going to pay you." and then immediately said "I'm going to get prices on the stump grinding and fixing the driveway." The next day I after dreaming about various ways to screw her over I texted her back and offered to accept $600 (for an $1100 job) and part ways. Never got a reply.

In 30 years I've never needed a concrete waiver but I'm going to print one up and have every customer sign off from now on.
 
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  • #14
Jeez Louise...

The 38th Contractor....to crack her driveway.

People are nuts.

I take a lot of pictures...especially when i smell fish.
 
That sucks Deva. And everyone else.

I always got paid that I can recall off the top of my head. Had to chase a few, got ugly once or twice. But face to face wins over text. Screw me over and then 'text' me some outrage over how rude I am asking for the money I'm owed! I'd be on that f-ckers doorstep as fast as my bike could get me there. :wack:
 
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  • #16
Just for visual.... this mornings...

If he doesn't pay.. the relationship is through anyway...might as well get my thrills and stay polite... Screenshot_20181216-100013_Messages.jpg
 
Cut your losses and write it off. Maybe later on be the bigger man and pickup his garbage from the curb before the truck gets there. Take it to a remote spot known to be a place where scumbags illegally dump. Some cleanup crew will collect it and rummage through it to determine who’s it is. Win win.
 
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  • #19
You Betcha Bob... writing off as fun and chit chat...

Gotta have some stories for the kids and everyone else at the bar.
 
I don't understand 'writing off losses'. You've captured your labor and materials expenses that you've lost on the job, already. You don't get to write off $500 for non-payment on a $500 job.
 
Sounds like you could/will still get paid. If so no biggie. Sucks to have to hunt it down but if you get the cashola in the end well worth it.
 
I’ve been stiffed for a couple of days money. One of the benefits of this sort of work is that there is rarely huge sums involved if it’s a homeowner, for commercial clients the usual safeguards are in place.

It’s nice to daydream of revenge, but for $500 I wouldn’t bother.
 
Daydream chit, I’m still fug’n with assholes that did me wrong 30+ years ago. It’s just another hobby to me.
 
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