You wouldn't believe the political, nonsensical, turmoil this woman is putting me through!!!!!

Now that I got that off my chest ...


Has anyone here recently done any work for a lady in the Atlanta area ?

I'm working on ahouse for her in Sandpoint Idaho. SHE'S DRIVING ME NUTS! Bottom line ... she don't wanna pay .... imagine that.

Now shes tellin me she recently had the same kinda work done down at her home only with much less trouble and her guy in Atlanta is siding with her on some issues and along with a bunch of other red flags she's waving I just want to know if she's playing the same games with who ever the poor guy over there is. Up here she had us all done with the job and owed a ballance, within 96 hours of a third coat of Fabulon she brings in a monkey parade of painters and carpenters who (to make a long STUPID story short) TRASHED the floor!!!!!! And YES, I told her 30 days cure time MINIMUM (not that what these guys did to the floor would have mattered anyway), but of course she has selective memory. Now she has a trashed floor and wants somone to fix it.
When we showed up to put in a transition strip we found every sq. inch covered in ground-in drywall rock, pebbles from outside traffic, nails and screws from removed hardware ALL on the floor and all being walked on and worked over. And they had the onions to tell her that my finish must be soft!!! and that it wasn't holding up to "simple stresses"
By the way, this is an EBONY floor as black as coal!! Thank goodness we had our camera handy for this one. Tip! If I can post one I will soon.

I would love for all of your reading pleasure to post the last thread of emails we've been hurling at each other if only to have you respected fellow tradesmen to bust a gut over the whole mess. But I fear that there is just not enough room for them here.

I guess while we're on the subject ... has anyone here got a favorite contract obligation story? How bout anyone with a simpler way of doing contracts in general so I don't gotta type all night long just to close a sale?

If it weren't for people ... this would be a pretty cool world to live in ...

(Sorry guys, just ranting .... And Ken, this is thearapy for me and I appologize if this is not the place for it, but thanks for having the board and I pray for a special place in heaven for you because of it )

EDITED By Administration: I understand your frustration William, but some items had to be edited. Thanks for your continued particpation and I hope everything works out in the end.

Sounds to me like she tried to get them other contractor to pay first and they are not going to own up to it so she is going to bark up any tree she can to not take the loss. I am sorry to say William, but this sounds like it is heading to court if you want to get your money. Please tell me you collected 50% up front for materials!!!!

As a matter of fact, Materials are paid for before we order wood, and 50% is paid before INK hits a calandar. I may indeed be over reacting. The outstanding amount is around $700, she sent $1200 outa $1900, BUT STILL. Why do we have to pull teeth? She saw the floor before it was trashed and convieniently forgot to pay us before returning to Atlanta. Now she's gone, the place a wreck, and she's holding my $ until she has a chance to see what someone else did to her floor.

Geez, some people need to get a life. I would have a hard time be patient with this one. good thing she saw the floor prior to being wrecked and you have the pics to prove that. Maybee a good time to check into some uninsured contractor insurance As you said people just dont want to be responsible for anything these days it all about pointing the finger at someone else.

IMO, the chit chat forum is the place for us pros to vent. We shouldn't get personal but everyone gets angry, that's called being normal. Hope ya feel better now that you got it off your chest. Dr. Phil is in da house.

SUCCESS!!! I kept my cool and called her bluff. Turns out that if you indeed add up the money she was attempting to keep from us, the painters, the carpenter, the door installer ... etc ... you get the picture. All these holdbacks add up. THAT is why she would not agree to have a meeting with ALL involved. She was trying to pit my salesman against me as well. Good thing we all communicate well in our company and have a good trust level and very valuable to NOT throw my employee under the bus when the customer accuses them of saying things that i KNOW they didn't.

She said that there was a check being sent today ... we'll see.

The things we do just to feed our flock and make purdy floors ...