Turning down the job

[Birsic]

Just yesterday for the first time ever, I turned down a job that I had explicitly gave my word that I would get done. It' is probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, cause what's a man got if not his word.

I have been dealing with customers for about 12 yrs and I have never experienced anything like this.

I received a call to do a small clean up job on a lot for a burnt down house. He informed me that most of the work had been done and there was not a lot left to do. Some small clean up, fill a hole or two, drop some hay down and haul away some lumber.
Pay was little but in December I take what I get.

Right from the start I got a bad feeling. He used words like: trust me, no lie.
He also kept mentioning that he was setting my money aside "right now" as if I was worried about it, which I wasn't till that point.

I forged a head anyways and drove there the next day.
I called him immediately for the lot was worse off then he had told me. I figured he should know so I could renegotiate the price. He agreed to the new price but used those 'words' again.

Not but 2 minutes later a guy drives up and asks me if I am working for 'so and so' I said yes and asked why? He basically told me I was not going to get paid and that the guy owes money to several contractors who had worked on this project.

I didn't know what to think but as soon as he left I had noticed a neighbor watching me so I went and asked them what they knew. They corroborated the story and the facts.

That was it for me, I called the guy and apologized that i had to walk away. I have never been faced with that much negativity from so many different sources, compounded by my own misgivings.

Have any of you ever came across something like this and if so how have you dealt with it?

[Dancing Dan]

What's to deal with? You begged off, which was obviously a wise move - it would have been hard to sympathize with you later if you'd forged ahead with that many warnings.

You could have told him the reason you weren't going to do the work, but I'm guessing he doesn't need to be told that he's ripped others off. And that would have either led to denials or explanations on his part, neither of which can be redeemed for cash.

[David Meiland]

As far as I'm concerned, congratulations on saving yourself a massive headache. That's good business and personal sense. Yes, what's a man but his word... in this case the owner, not you. You would have to disbelieve your gut, the guy who drove up, AND the neighbor in order to come to another conclusion, plus you called the owner to tell him, which many would not have done.

[dgbldr]

You deal with it by having him sign a contract and payment in advance.

[SteveC]

Posting "I turned down a job" is way better than posting "I got screwed on a job"

[Dutchman]

Get good at judging a book by it's cover.

[DevinL]

Posting "I turned down a job" is way better than posting "I got screwed on a job"

Steve you nailed it!

[Scrapr]

I turned one done about ba month ago. We had gone it 1x for just a tiny bit. I started looking him up on the State license board. LOTs of guys not paid. Homeowners filing complaints. Subs filing liens.

I called him and told him politely that we could not work for him. He almost (almost) offered to pay the total in advance.

I should drive by and see how he's doing

[rubicoframer]

Last spring I turned down a 50,000sf job by telling the GC that he has a really bad paying reputation... He was mad but I dont care.

And I took a small custom home that the owner ask me for 6,000$ worth of extra that I did & get never paid. When I ask him to sign my change order he start to laugh and kept asking me to change things. I trusted him. Well I was stupid. He paid the framing but not the extra. When I lien, he reply with an 35,000$ law suit against me. I let it go. We released eveything.

Now a customer is not paying 67$ (out of a 5,000.00 invoice) for a job that I provide wood for it. I am getting really mad; I sent him an invoice for 350$ for a "free be" that I did & I WANT THE MONEY.

[Greg Di]

Last time I checked, we are running businesses. Take all the emotion out of what you do and you'll sleep much better at night. I'm not saying you have to be a douchebag, but don't get emotionally attached to anything.

If you are willing to work for free, go volunteer at Habitat.

[Ted S.]

...........cause what's a man got if not his word.

Sounds like that's on him, not you.

[Johnny Spimony]

Just yesterday for the first time ever, I turned down a job that I had explicitly gave my word that I would get done. It' is probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, cause what's a man got if not his word.

I have been dealing with customers for about 12 yrs and I have never experienced anything like this.

I received a call to do a small clean up job on a lot for a burnt down house. He informed me that most of the work had been done and there was not a lot left to do. Some small clean up, fill a hole or two, drop some hay down and haul away some lumber.
Pay was little but in December I take what I get.

Right from the start I got a bad feeling. He used words like: trust me, no lie.
He also kept mentioning that he was setting my money aside "right now" as if I was worried about it, which I wasn't till that point.

I forged a head anyways and drove there the next day.
I called him immediately for the lot was worse off then he had told me. I figured he should know so I could renegotiate the price. He agreed to the new price but used those 'words' again.

Not but 2 minutes later a guy drives up and asks me if I am working for 'so and so' I said yes and asked why? He basically told me I was not going to get paid and that the guy owes money to several contractors who had worked on this project.

I didn't know what to think but as soon as he left I had noticed a neighbor watching me so I went and asked them what they knew. They corroborated the story and the facts.

That was it for me, I called the guy and apologized that i had to walk away. I have never been faced with that much negativity from so many different sources, compounded by my own misgivings.

Have any of you ever came across something like this and if so how have you dealt with it?

Honestly you did yourself a huge favor. Had you not walked away from that, who knows how long he would have strung you out telling you he'd pay you.

[mezalick]

I had the same type of problem but I wasn't told about not getting paid until after the job was completed. I call a lawyer friend and he called the local sheriff who went over and put up a Sheriff Sale notice on the front door. The "client" is a BIG time lawyer himself. Needless to say I was one of only a few that got paid.
Michael

[Birsic]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.

About a contract and being paid up front. I have only asked for money up front in very rare cases. Either the project supplies was more then I could front or in one or two cases where they did not own the property yet (long story).

I think I did the right thing, he seems to be skilled at getting stuff for free and will no doubt have someone else there soon who does not get the same warning. I probably should have left a sigh.

Thanks again for the great feedback. :)

[jimAKAblue]

Thanks for the update Birsic.

Now for a contrary story:

A couple weeks ago, I was finalizing a contract with a customer after investing a lot of time with adjusters, subcontractors and verifying permit requirements. I had invested a lot more time than I normally do, but I did have a signed contingency contract.

Anyways, during the final meeting, he tossed me a few ringers; asking for about $1,000 more services and changing the deal by a couple thousand. He also began exhibiting all the warning signs of a bad customer; one that I might not care to deal with. One of the reasons I like roofing is that I can get in and out in a day or so and there's usually not a lot of drama. This guy was showing signs of being a drama queen and getting cheap too.

I knew my costs and margins and I knew I could swing the terms as he proposed them but his attitude was scaring me. In the middle of these negotiations, I looked him in the eye and told him "You are beginning to look like the kind of customer that I do not care to work for. I don't know if I can work for you. I don't know if I can trust you. I don't know if I like you anymore." The mood of that discussion instantly changed. If you had seen the panic in his eyes and he realized that I was leaving, you would have suddenly understood the power of the takeaway LOL!

After a few more tense minutes of me deciding whether he was going to get my services, he eventually convinced me that we could work together. He had some valid points that concerned him and it took all of my will power to decide to go ahead with the contract.

Long story short: it worked out. I actually like the guy, even though he is a money grubber and wants everything for free. I'd like the moon for free myself. I didn't have any trouble getting paid, as he promised and today he told me, "when the next storm hits, just come over and take over the project!".

I don't know for sure why I took the project but I do know this: I had all my costs covered up front and I was risking all the headache and profit. That was a huge part of my decision to continue the contract in the face of all the controversy. And, the margin was good enough for me to move forward. I wouldn't have moved forward if it was only a couple hundred bucks.