Friday, September 5, 2008

The Contractor is GONE

Whoopeeee!!!!

Seriously, never thought we were going to get rid of this guy. This being our first real venture into home improvement and all the joys/pains/frustrations that come with it, we were thrilled to be hooked up with a friend of our realtor (who is a super cool, VERY professional guy). We figured, if the realtor liked him, we'd like him. And initially, we did. He came in way under bid, was semi-attentive, really liked Eric (didn't listen to a word I said, but recognized that I held the checkbook, and thus, deserved respect and corresponding lack of face-to-face time that would make me realize he's an idiot), and we felt okay leaving the house with him while we were still making our transition from Boston.

The trouble started when we walked in the door in mid-July, after driving for 10 hours straight. This was when we found the drywall and plaster all over the floor, saw the ceiling had been sponged exactly the opposite of what we had requested, that the window was a piece of plywood, and innumerable other things. We only asked him for two things: that he provide us with the programmable thermostats he made a big deal about getting for us cheap, and that he replace the window that one of the doofus workers broke.

Yesterday, i get a call about 1:30. He's on his way over to get the window (which he'd replaced with the original broken glass). Was I home? Of course not. Because I have a JOB. He acts all disappointed that I wasn't there and that he'd have to waste a couple hours. I'm thinking, "you've wasted 7 weeks on this job... a couple hours won't matter." Anyway, I say, because you have to get the glass to the shop by 5:00, I'll come home by 4:15. So I left work an hour early (didn't matter because I went in before 7:30 anyway... But that's not the point). So, when does he show up? 5:30. By this point, I'm livid. But because I'm not into getting into fights with people, and instead prefer to be chilly and aloof with them, I give him short answers, lock the door behind him, etc. etc.

The thermostats are also incredibly obviously non-programmable, and in fact, say "non-programmable" on the package. I told him this, and he argued with me, until I showed him the box.

He shows up today, and it takes about 5 minutes for him to finish the job, at which point we settle up. We've been holding on to a rather large check for him for quite a while, until he finished the job.

So, my plan was to cut the money we'd already given him for the thermostats (which he did not itemize on the invoice) and to deduct an hour of my pay for the hour he made me miss yesterday. The first was totally fine, the second, ummmm, not so much. He got really pissy about it and I demurred. Of course I did. I'm such a wimp. But I'm feeling all feisty and thinking of cool snappy remarks that I could have made... Dammit. I'm so Costanza right now.

In other news, it's my birthday. I turn the big 3-0. It's strange. I'm only 18, right?

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