What to do ? (insurance, credit, how much)

[Lynnt]

Can I sue him ?
Hi, my situation is: I hired a contractor to pour a concrete slab patio for my house. The guy and one of his helper showed up at 8:00 PM and dinged out with bob cat til 10:00 PM (2hours) and didn't come back until 1:00 PM the day after. The concrete truck showed up at 2:40 PM at my house and both of them were still digging and not finish framing.
The concrete ran out at 2/3 of the job, then rain came in washes away the surface of the slab. The patio now look bare rock at a few spots and lot of hum caused by not leveled correctly and water standing just as I spay it with the garden hose. The guy came back the day after, patched those spot and they came right off after several day. He came back another time and said sorry and never did return my phone calls or texts again.
I called another contractor out to took a look, and he said the only right way to fix it is cut out the patio, demo it and re pour it like a new job which will cost me around 7k to 10k.
What should I do when the guy keep on ignore my calls ??? Please advise. Thanks.

[chb119]

Find a new licensed contractor to do the job right. As for the old guy file a complaint with BBB and NC Licensing Board. You could go the lawsuit way but it will probably cost more than it's worth. All in all cut ties pay the 7 to 10 to have it done right and learn from your mistake to always check references, reviews, license, insurance and get your hands on any other info you can about the person doing the work.

A helpful link:
North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors

[unthought_known]

How much did you pay this guy? If it's less than $5K, you can file in Small Claims court. It doesn't cost much. But as far as I know, you can't bring a lawyer with you so you'd need to be able to represent yourself.

[Lynnt]

Support to be 9.5 square yards of concrete and should cover 1000 square feet with 3" thick. Because they digged to deep, ran out of concrete 2/3 of the job. End up i have to called for another 5 square yards of concrete. All together the concrete cost $2,000 dollars and I paid him $785.

[convextech]

Originally Posted by Lynnt

Support to be 9.5 square yards of concrete and should cover 1000 square feet with 3" thick. Because they digged to deep, ran out of concrete 2/3 of the job. End up i have to called for another 5 square yards of concrete. All together the concrete cost $2,000 dollars and I paid him $785.

Well, you get what you pay for, that's for sure. Consider that money gone. Call a licensed contractor and have the job done right.

[spankys bbq]

3" thick? That isn't thick enough if you ask me. Get on The North Carolina Court System Home Page and click on the Forms page. Print out 5 copies of the Complaint for Money Owed and 5 copies of the Magistrate Summons. Fill these out and go to the courthouse with $126 and a self addressed and stamped envelope.

I would recommend that you send a certified letter demanding he come back out and fix the damage and leave it as he originally found it or completed. If you get no answer, go after him for the amount it will take to fix the mess he made. You won't be able to get what it will cost to pour a new slab, but it will at least be enough to get the mess cleaned up. Do keep in mind you will only get a judgement, not payment on the spot. You may never see a dime from this guy but you've definitely hurt his credit and reputation if you file complaints.

[Itstimetomuskup]

This guy sounds incompetent do you really want him to come back out? If its only 785 call it a lesson and move on. Get it done right and make sure you get several quotes. Throw out the low balls and look for the ones that are around the same price give or take 5-10% and ask how they got to that number. Its ok to ask how many hours what they charge per man hours and how much per square of crete they are paying. Break it down so you understand. Short cuts in construction will cost you quality.

Originally Posted by spankys bbq

I would recommend that you send a certified letter demanding he come back out and fix the damage and leave it as he originally found it or completed. If you get no answer, go after him for the amount it will take to fix the mess he made. You won't be able to get what it will cost to pour a new slab, but it will at least be enough to get the mess cleaned up. Do keep in mind you will only get a judgement, not payment on the spot. You may never see a dime from this guy but you've definitely hurt his credit and reputation if you file complaints.

[convextech]

Originally Posted by Itstimetomuskup

This guy sounds incompetent do you really want him to come back out? If its only 785 call it a lesson and move on. Get it done right and make sure you get several quotes. Throw out the low balls and look for the ones that are around the same price give or take 5-10% and ask how they got to that number. Its ok to ask how many hours what they charge per man hours and how much per square of crete they are paying. Break it down so you understand. Short cuts in construction will cost you quality.

I agree. She hired a chump for change and got exactly what she paid for; he didn't swindle her.

[spankys bbq]

If it goes to court, the demand to make things right will work heavily in favor of the OP. I'd consider it more of a formality than an invite to come tear up more stuff. And every now and then a contractor will come out and make things right if they know the homeowner is serious. Heck, call channel 9 and get them to go after the guy.