Posted By: MeanRedSpider
What would you do? - 09/11/2019 11:28
We’ve been having some patio-type work done by a guy. When he started, he said we should tell him if there’s anything we’re not happy with.
Anyhow, the job’s been progressing and taken more time and many times more materials than the guy estimated. Regardless, we’ve paid him literally within hours of getting his weekly invoice and it’s us that have been ordering the materials. That said, there was an odd evening when he texted to ask, in a pretty blunt way, why he hadn’t been paid (about 3 hours after giving us his invoice). Though I paid him, he sent another even more accusatory text the following morning demanding to know why he hadn’t been paid (even though he had).
Anyhow, the work commenced and we ordered yet more (£300 more) materials. The weather then was terrible for a week and he understandably didn’t come. After the 2nd day of much better weather, we still hadn’t seen him but he’d dropped a bill of, so I sent him a text to ask when he was coming and the there were a couple of crack in some mortar in a wall. I was rather shocked by his response where he basically lost his sh!t saying he’d just come and collect his tools and to keep the money. I sent a mollifying text but didn’t hear back.
About a week later, my wife got a text saying we’d broken trust because we hadn’t paid him and he was refusing to do any more. He said he’d come and collect his mixer and tools. I replied, reminding him that we’d always paid on the button and that he’d said to keep the money this time (pointing out that there were problems that needed fixing).
We’ve come to the conclusion that he’s lost interest in the job and has been looking for (fabricated) excuses to drop it.
Well, that was about 4 weeks ago and his mixer, barrow, and a load of other tools are still sat on our drive despite a few notes to say to him that he needs to pick them up. We have another guy finishing the job.
At what point do I just take his stuff to the tip? Any ideas on what the legal situation is when someone dumps stuff with you?
Anyhow, the job’s been progressing and taken more time and many times more materials than the guy estimated. Regardless, we’ve paid him literally within hours of getting his weekly invoice and it’s us that have been ordering the materials. That said, there was an odd evening when he texted to ask, in a pretty blunt way, why he hadn’t been paid (about 3 hours after giving us his invoice). Though I paid him, he sent another even more accusatory text the following morning demanding to know why he hadn’t been paid (even though he had).
Anyhow, the work commenced and we ordered yet more (£300 more) materials. The weather then was terrible for a week and he understandably didn’t come. After the 2nd day of much better weather, we still hadn’t seen him but he’d dropped a bill of, so I sent him a text to ask when he was coming and the there were a couple of crack in some mortar in a wall. I was rather shocked by his response where he basically lost his sh!t saying he’d just come and collect his tools and to keep the money. I sent a mollifying text but didn’t hear back.
About a week later, my wife got a text saying we’d broken trust because we hadn’t paid him and he was refusing to do any more. He said he’d come and collect his mixer and tools. I replied, reminding him that we’d always paid on the button and that he’d said to keep the money this time (pointing out that there were problems that needed fixing).
We’ve come to the conclusion that he’s lost interest in the job and has been looking for (fabricated) excuses to drop it.
Well, that was about 4 weeks ago and his mixer, barrow, and a load of other tools are still sat on our drive despite a few notes to say to him that he needs to pick them up. We have another guy finishing the job.
At what point do I just take his stuff to the tip? Any ideas on what the legal situation is when someone dumps stuff with you?