Contractor messed up renovation -what are my options? (insurance, how much)

[Flavia84]

I am having a contractor gut both bathrooms, floors, doors, closets and such.

Initially they promised a week to have everything done. It's already been almost 3 weeks and they are not even close yet. The team is 4 young guys, and seems that they haven't been doing this kind of work. We went in this weekend to check up on the work and to our dismay they have screwed up a bunch:

the tile floors in the bathrooms are all messed up (tiles are not flush)
the expensive special order bathtub scratched
the wall tile is not even
the doors are scratched
the special order closet system was dropped so got chipped and scratched
lots of areas which had been painted are scratched and dirty so will require to be repainted
etc.

The only thing that came out decent is 1800 sq ft of laminate which they didn't finish the baseboards on.

At this point I want to fire these people before they do any more damage.

What are my options? How good are my chances of getting rid of them so that I can find someone else? How much do I owe them considering the fact that they damaged the materials, wasted my time so I'll have to get new stuff and redo everything?

[AZ Manager]

Contact the ROC to file a complaint, if they aren't licensed then you should have expect this. You get what you pay for an all that. You can try to sue in small claims but that's another long process that could easily take a couple months or more.

[jimj]

A few questions if you please, how much of the contract do you still owe? Have you brought your concerns to their attention and if so what was their response? If not, why not?
I'd take pictures of all of the things you have issues with before talking to them that's the first thing I'd be doing.
Document EVERYTHING, write down every conversation and the date it was had, try to do everything in writing like using texts and emails whenever possible.

You will need to give them a chance to fix what issues you have, document what happens and what is said. If they decline to fix it or do a bad job the second time then ask for a full refund or you'll have to take them to court.

With things like this you have to at least give them one attempt to make it right if you want any shot at getting a court to help.

[Flavia84]

Thanks for the advice. I don't have a contract with them- is that going to be an issue?

Also, should I expect them to pay for the new materials if they're going to be redoing the tile?

Can I ask for a discount if they do fix it in the end but take four times as long as originally promised for the project to take?

[wit-nit]

Originally Posted by Flavia84

Thanks for the advice. I don't have a contract with them- is that going to be an issue? Probably. Sounds like a fly by night unlicensed outfit. Unlicensed contractors can just walk away with your money. Court is the only recourse and then you may not get anywhere.

Also, should I expect them to pay for the new materials if they're going to be redoing the tile? You should expect them to pay but don't be surprised that they don't.

Can I ask for a discount if they do fix it in the end but take four times as long as originally promised for the project to take?You can always ask but again don't be surprised if they don't.

You may want to cut your losses and find a legitimate licensed contractor and pay to straighten everything out.
If they should be licensed then a complaint to the ROC Registrar Of Contractors would be a wise idea. Or tell them you're filing a complaint if they don't do the job correctly.

A spelled out contract would have saved you a lot of time, grief and money.

[Flavia84]

I haven't paid anything yet so they don't have any of my money if that makes any difference at all?

[wit-nit]

Don't pay anything until it's done correctly and you are satisfied.

[Flavia84]

Thank you for all the replies, I appreciate it.
So at this point I don't think these clowns can do this correctly so that I can be satisfied – it seems like this is a learning playground for them.

Given the fact that I haven't paid and I don't have a contract, on what terms can I fire them? Am I expected to pay for part of the work done even though it needs to be redone? Can I expect them to pay for the cost of materials that I will have to buy again and the stuff that was damaged? That's thousands of dollars.

[snatale1]

Originally Posted by Flavia84

Thanks for the advice. I don't have a contract with them- is that going to be an issue?

Yes, a huge one. There IS no time frame because one was never established. Them telling you a week should have been your first red flag but bot having anything in writing means you don't have a leg to stand on. Seems your aware you didn't hire pros from the beginning.

Also, should I expect them to pay for the new materials if they're going to be redoing the tile?

You think the people that can't estimate a job or lay tile correctly are going to pay for anything? Did you get an insurance certificate before you gave them the job? Your most likely screwed.

Can I ask for a discount if they do fix it in the end but take four times as long as originally promised for the project to take?

You don't ASK anything! You get a REAL estimate from an actual contractor to unscrew what's been done and hit them with that. Do the math and go after them for the money. Threaten them with legal action and mean it, but don't expect to go through with it because the courts aren't going to hear you when it comes to an unlicensed idiots running on verbal agreements. Whatever you get you get, and cut your losses. You don't save money by hiring hacks.

[Flavia84]

Originally Posted by snatale1

Yes, a huge one. There IS no time frame because one was never established. Them telling you a week should have been your first red flag but bot having anything in writing means you don't have a leg to stand on. Seems your aware you didn't hire pros from the beginning.




You think the people that can't estimate a job or lay tile correctly are going to pay for anything? Did you get an insurance certificate before you gave them the job? Your most likely screwed.




You don't ASK anything! You get a REAL estimate from an actual contractor to unscrew what's been done and hit them with that. Do the math and go after them for the money. Threaten them with legal action and mean it, but don't expect to go through with it because the courts aren't going to hear you when it comes to an unlicensed idiots running on verbal agreements. Whatever you get you get, and cut your losses. You don't save money by hiring hacks.

Got it. And my reasonable to expect not to pay for the job that they did that needs to be redone? Also, does contacting ROC help?