I am just so frusrated right now about my family room and my contractor. The first frustration started last week. We thought he was going to start Monday of last week but it was all a misunderstanding and I accept that now. But when we hung up after me asking him where he was, he told me to not to hesitate to call him whenever I needed to. He had already told us he would lay our carpet if we wanted him to. We had been out looking at carpet and getting carpet and installation prices. So I tried to get ahold of him to see what his installation fee was. Had to leave a message on his voice mail. Next day I did the same because he didn't call me back. Next day I tried to leave a message but it said his mail box was full. This was on Thurssday. I tried everyday up until Sunday and it was still full. He was supposed to be coming to our house the next day at 8 AM to start and we still couldn't get him.

So I finally get him on Sunday, he said he had been out of town. But he said he would be at our house at 7 AM. My husband was up then and we finally left at 11 AM because he still wasn't there and of course his voice mail box was full. So he finallly arrives at about 2 PM. Says he had an appointment at his own house that he couldn't miss. Come to find out he 'flips' houses and he is living in it while flipping it and he had an electrician come in.

So Monday was kind of shot. They did final demo work and planning. So when he left I said 'see you at 8 AM, emphasizing the 8. So he comes in at 8:25 AM and immediately says that he forgot his tool box and goes home to get it and back at 9. Short break at 11. I have to leave for an ultrasound at 12:30 so he says that would be a perfect time for him to leave for lunch. I tell him I'll be back at 1:30. He comes back at 2:30 and leaves at 4:30.

So again I say see you at 8 AM and not 8:25 tomorrow morning, emphasizing the 8:25. He comes in at 8:10 and leaves at 8:30 and gets back at 9. Tells me he's leaving at 11:15 for lunch. Then the big problem comes. I call him at 1:45 and ask him if he thinks he is done for the day! He says well no. I'm at the dump. Since he hasn't built anything yet at my house, I think he went to his house, got things from his own flip and took them to the dump on his lunch hour from my house. So he finally gets here at 3:30, car over heated sitting at the dump!

So we have a TALK. I told my husband that I would do all the talking. I had seived all day and had it all written out what I was saying. I even had the chair put right in my line of fire so he had no choice but to sit whre I could stare at him. I told him that if he had a boss that he would have been fired right on the spot if he left for lunch at 11:15 and came back at 3:30. He said well you know you are my boss. And I came right back with' I have had several people that have told me that I should fire you right now.'


I told you this was long


I also told him that we are a couple reaching retirement age. I had to empty a 401K with possible tax and penalties. I am on SSD and my husband makes a lousy tech salary and maybe to some people $4800 isn't a lot of money but to us it is huge and we had entrusted that to him and asked him if he was still going to make the same kind of commitment to us as we did to him.

By this time he was squirming. I finally let my husband talk and the main thing he wanted to add was what it was doing to me. His girlfreind has MS so he knows what its like. So instead of leaving at 4:40 tonight he left at 6:30 but there still isn't any drywall up!

I know I should have fired him but I am just so frustrated and didn't want to go through all the interviewing and getting estimates again. We did that for two weeks. Plus he has cut a lot of drywall. It is just sitting there. We hired him because he had the same kind of vision that we had for the family room and what he told us of his work ethics we really liked. We thought they were very strong. He had wonderful referrals. Maybe he paid them.

OK, that's the end. I did feel much better after I talked to him.