[quasi]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

As a contractor, I can tell you that I've had people hand me checks, and cash with a set of purchase orders and contracts that I drew up myself. As a landlord, I have new tenants hand me cash and checks upon signing a lease that I printed off my own computer. Now, obviously, I'm not out to rip people off, but what about me says that to people? A gleam in my eye? My shoes?

Maybe if you could provide tips of what to look for in people, the whole con industry would disappear over night.

In short, it fucking happens. Not a single contractor that I know, and I deal with plenty, but not a one starts a job without a check in their hand, or a visa number in their terminal(actually, my paving guys didn't need anything, which I found weird), unless, they have worked for people before and know they are good for it. And many a contractor has an equal amount of stories about customers that didn't pay.

Everything I've seen has been the complete opposite and I've been doing this for a long time. Never any money up front, usually don't see any money until at least 45-60 days after starting a job. I like the way you've experienced a lot more, the subs have all the risk they finance the job yet they are last to be paid. It's such a fucked industry.

Maybe we should get out of commercial and into residential.


OP, sounds like you have your ducks in a row. Don't back down and keep doing what you're doing. I'm sorry your grandpa is having such a hard time with his reno this contractor sounds like a complete fuck. My mom actually hired some contractor to do her bathroom earlier this year and it was a total clusterfuck. She used a company who's name I can't remember and they sent out a subcontractor to do the work on there behalf. The guy they sent out estimated it and did the work. He totally fucked it up, 3 weeks into the bathroom reno he wasn't even half done and she complained about his shitty workmanship, he was doing so much wrong. Company comes out, see's work and fires the guy. They have to rip out all the work he did and restart and send someone else out. On top of all that when the guy priced it he priced it way to low. I estimate for a living and IMO that company probably lost at least $6,000 on my moms bathroom renovation but to there credit they finished the job and at the end of the day everything was made right. Even in bad times there are still people out there who stand behind there work and the end product.