I know I am probably screwed but need advice

[R8RFAN]

What kind of dumbass gives money to people out of the blue...


No money until the job is done...

Originally Posted by R8ers

What kind of dumbass gives money to people out of the blue...


No money until the job is done...

What kind of dumbass will buy thousands of dollars of materials and spend weeks of labor without money up front? That knife cuts both ways.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Phobia

What kind of dumbass will buy thousands of dollars of materials and spend weeks of labor without money up front? That knife cuts both ways.

true ... but you know where they live, they can disappear.

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

true ... but you know where they live, they can disappear.

Every single one of my clients knows where my shop is and most of them got my number from a friend. I agree with the premise that you don't give a nickel to some idiot off the internet but if you want a big project done, you have to give money to a legitimate contractor or you won't be able to do business with him. I know where a couple of my clients live... One owes me $2k and another owes me over $15k. If they're not moving or selling anytime soon, I can't do anything about it.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Phobia

Every single one of my clients knows where my shop is and most of them got my number from a friend. I agree with the premise that you don't give a nickel to some idiot off the internet but if you want a big project done, you have to give money to a legitimate contractor or you won't be able to do business with him. I know where a couple of my clients live... One owes me $2k and another owes me over $15k. If they're not moving or selling anytime soon, I can't do anything about it.

not really talking about you ... just in general.

[R8RFAN]

Originally Posted by Phobia

What kind of dumbass will buy thousands of dollars of materials and spend weeks of labor without money up front? That knife cuts both ways.

I will buy the supplies and sit them in my yard... You will be working for me, you will either do business my way or go work for someone else ... Savvy?

Originally Posted by R8ers

I will buy the supplies and sit them in my yard... You will be working for me, you will either do business my way or go work for someone else ... Savvy?

That's fine with me. But I'd say you're a very unique person. Most of my clients don't want anything to do with any of the process. They just want it to look like the picture when we're done and they don't care how it gets that way.

[R8RFAN]

Originally Posted by Phobia

That's fine with me. But I'd say you're a very unique person. Most of my clients don't want anything to do with any of the process. They just want it to look like the picture when we're done and they don't care how it gets that way.

I have been ****ed before (when I was young and dumb) .... Never again...

Also the job gets done a helluva lot faster when you are waiting to pay them.

Don't get me wrong, I respect the hard work of contractors and I will not nitpik on a dollar here or there..


I am not concerned with a well known contractor btw... If you have a good rep with my people, I will pay you up front...

These mofos were going around telling businesses they had extra asphalt left over and will fix their lot... sure they put an inch of asphalt on their lot, got paid and left then the first vehicle that drove over it peeled it up like a banana .... Scammers long gone...

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by R8ers

What kind of dumbass gives money to people out of the blue...


No money until the job is done...

I've always received half down and balance upon completion.

....that said, I can see where there would be exceptions, depending on the job, etc.

[boogblaster]

12 gauge pump ....

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by Phobia

What kind of dumbass will buy thousands of dollars of materials and spend weeks of labor without money up front? That knife cuts both ways.

You have the protection of mechanics liens and court.

Obviously the scale of the job plays a big role, and money up front or draws are necessary at times. But do you really see yourself asking for money up front for either of the two jobs mentioned in this thread? $2500 of lumber or $800 of fencing?

As I said on my previous post in this thread, if the contractor asks for money for materials. Go to the supplier and buy the materials yourself.

[R8RFAN]

Originally Posted by jspchief

You have the protection of mechanics liens and court.

Obviously the scale of the job plays a big role, and money up front or draws are necessary at times. But do you really see yourself asking for money up front for either of the two jobs mentioned in this thread? $2500 of lumber or $800 of fencing?

As I said on my previous post in this thread, if the contractor asks for money for materials. Go to the supplier and buy the materials yourself.

BINGO... Unless they want to put a lien on the title to their truck or boat or whatever...

Originally Posted by jspchief

You have the protection of mechanics liens and court.

Obviously the scale of the job plays a big role, and money up front or draws are necessary at times. But do you really see yourself asking for money up front for either of the two jobs mentioned in this thread? $2500 of lumber or $800 of fencing?

As I said on my previous post in this thread, if the contractor asks for money for materials. Go to the supplier and buy the materials yourself.

I doubt I'd be asking for money up front on an $800, one-day job. But I'd ask for money if I was spending a couple grand on materials and not going to finish the job for a couple weeks. That's fair. If my materials are sitting on a client's job site and either one of us gets hit by a bus, we are both protected if they're paid for and sitting on their property. I make sure my clients are comfortable with the money they've paid out and the progress of their job. If they go nuts and decide they're not paying, I don't want to get hurt and if I go nuts and ditch their job, I don't want them to get hurt either.

[R8RFAN]

sad part is the law is on the side of the customer...

A contractor can come in and do excellent work and still not get paid if the homeowner files bankruptcy ... The contractor can't even go back and undo what he done.

I see both sides

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by R8ers

sad part is the law is on the side of the customer...

A contractor can come in and do excellent work and still not get paid if the homeowner files bankruptcy ... The contractor can't even go back and undo what he done.

I see both sides

Bankruptcy doesn't typically absolve lien holder's rights. Mechanics Lien's aren't ironclad, but it's a pretty reasonable protection for contractors.

If I needed a customer to pay for materials in advance, I would send them to my supplier with a order # and have them pay the supplier directly. That way at the very least they have the assurance of knowing that the money went to a tangible thing. If I flake out as a contractor, they at least have the materials on hand for the replacement they hire.

As for the risk contractors expose themselves to, it's the nature of the business. At the very least you should have a nose for customers that may be shady and act accordingly.