The Dog Ate my Homework, a Non-WoW Rant with a Scary Dog Picture
Okay, it’s happening again … I’m bored of me. I can always tell because I write posts, read them, then trash them cause they’re boring to me. Sooooo … I’m going to rant instead! Yay! It’s totally un-WoW related so you don’t have to listen if you don’t want to. It will be my therapy so that hopefully if and when these gentleman show up again I don’t run out the front door screaming fuckityfuckfuck at them at least until after they’re done.
So a friend said YOU MUST try Angie’s List, she said she got the most wonderful contractor to redo her bathroom there. Okay, alright … I’ll give it a try since the deck is about to detach from the house. I signed up and got some estimates. I picked the contractor with a A+ best deck builder EVER rating mostly because he assured me that his workers were his employees, not subcontractors as happens with many builders.
In hindsight it’s easy to see that I was lulled into complacency by that GIANT A+ and didn’t ask the appropriate questions. I asked how many days the job would take, yes, but I didn’t ask WOULD THEY BE CONSECUTIVE DAYS. What a big dummy I am. I was repeatedly told this was a three day job. GREAT! That’s wonderful, I think I can live through three days of intense hysterical barking from our little girl as she tries to alert us to the fact that the devil is pounding on the side of the house. Our other dog isn’t really concerned but he likes to support her in everything she does so he joins in.
The deal was done, the contract brought out. Hmm … a little strange … but BIG A+ remember! If it’s a three day job why have they allowed a MONTH AND A HALF to complete it? Oh, probably for weather I’m sure … cause GIANT A+ rating so no worries. Hmm … this IS odd. My contracts require 50% deposit and the remaining 50% when the job’s completed. Theirs says 45% DEPOSIT, 45% when deck platform hung and 10% on completion. Odd … but remember, BIG FREAKING A+ so just sign the damn thing already.
So they arrive, they park a freaking big dumpster in front of our house, essentially making our street one lane now which I’m sure the neighbors enjoy and BEGIN! Yay! They work three days, hang the deck platform. Day four … nope. I finally get a call from the tricksy management guys. Oh hey, sorry. Roberto is sick. Really sorry but there’s just one day’s work left. He’ll be back when he’s well. And by the way I’ll be by later to pick up the 45% for the deck platform later today.
You know I don’t mind so much the fact that I’m probably going to walk out the door because I’ll forget the deck isn’t there and fall to my … if not death at least a full body cast. Yeah, that’s not it. It’s not the worry that the neighbor’s cat will fall into one of the GIANT holes in the yard … I mean I’m worried, but that’s not it.
COME ON! Roberto got sick just as he hung the platform getting you 90% of your money? Roberto who arrived at 8:30am every one of the three days and worked all day with about a 20 minute break for lunch and stayed until it was too dark to see including the day he was stricken with disease?
AND THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK? How about that next? Yes, this is what I can’t take. It’s bad enough we have to put up with politicians lying to us and in their stupid arrogance thinking they’re pulling one over on us yokels but now I have to pretend to believe contractors?
I DIDN’T JUST FALL OUT OF THE TURNIP TRUCK! Roberto is not freakin’ sick, he’s on another job and you’ll fit us in somewhere in the next month and a half cause I gave you all the freaking MONEY … except for 10% but yeah … why hurry for that.
Thanks … I think it helped to get that off my chest. I’ve gone from Defcon FUCKITYFUCKFUCK down to Defcon FREAKING. I don’t want to blow it and start calling them rotten little stupidhead liars until the job’s completed. They might tell Roberto to bobby trap the deck or something.
So remember, don’t be like me and be glamored by BIG A+ reviews … read the bad ones too. I did. Too late.
But you know what? I can’t wait for the month and a half to go by … no not having the deck … writing MY REVIEW at Angie’s List. Ah, can’t wait.
Tome of the Ancient 
October 26, 2013 at 3:39 pm
If it makes you feel any better, I am pretty sure I would have fallen for that hook, line and sinker. 😛 Hope it all gets sorted out for you sooner than a month and a half, because that’s just ridiculous.
October 26, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Thanks! I went back and read the negative reviews and sure enough some people said if your job wasn’t big enough you’d just be given a day or two here and there.
So if I had actually read all the reviews they would have been helpful. All the people who gave glowing reviews were having big projects over 40,000 and up done, that sure isn’t our pokey little deck’s budget, lol.
October 26, 2013 at 6:32 pm
One thing about Angie’s List is that they, like a local television troubleshooter, will hassle a company if they provided poor service. You might want to check into that.
October 26, 2013 at 6:42 pm
I will, I’m just biding my time until it’s completed so I can give my input. The only good thing so far is my husband says the work is very well done so if they ever finish it it will be a good deck, lol.
October 26, 2013 at 8:22 pm
Wow, that’s unbelievable. Hope you get it finished sooner rather than later.
October 27, 2013 at 10:08 am
Thanks Cym, it would be in their best interest as the longer I sit here fuming the lower their rating will be, lol. At this point they’d have to bribe me with a Mini Tyrael to get it up to an A!
October 27, 2013 at 2:40 am
I know what you mean about job size. Try getting someone to tile one shower or hang a wall of gyproc. Sheesh.
Hope it all works out properly for you eventually. Good luck.
October 27, 2013 at 10:10 am
I know, and the people willing to take on small jobs are sometimes not the most knowledgeable. My neighbor had a handyman work on their garage door and after had to just replace the whole thing.
October 27, 2013 at 8:58 am
/Hugs. It’s stuff like this which makes me wish I was a bit more practical so I could do it all myself. My kitchen (which was started in the middle of August) still isn’t complete. The only thing which has stopped me going on a murderous rampage is the fact that we haven’t paid them a penny yet but as Christmas draws ever closer and I still haven’t got my splash back or extractor fan installed, I may yet lose it.
October 27, 2013 at 10:14 am
OMG! They don’t want Sprout coming after them if they know whats good for them! At least you were smart enough not to give them practically all of the money. Surely you’d think that would motivate them.
I hope you get your splash back and fan well before Christmas. There are so many things we talk about updating and then the thought of the agony of going through it all stops us, lol.
October 28, 2013 at 9:12 am
I wish I could claim credit for not paying them but unfortunately it’s Mr Harpy who is the smart (or at least distrusting) one.
October 28, 2013 at 5:17 am
Wow. That’s just awful! Geez I think I would have been sucked into a good review too. I hope they get warts on their toes…
October 28, 2013 at 7:01 am
It’s Monday morning so we’ll see if old Roberto has recovered from his “illness” lol. Hopefully I’ve learned my lesson and will read ALL the reviews next time I use Angie’s list.
October 28, 2013 at 5:57 pm
Yeah, when I had a house I could tell you stories…
I learned (very quickly) to note recommendations from friends but I checked each and every one with the BBB. It was quite revealing. Even in a “small city” with very few choices I managed to find decent contractors who didn’t try to screw me over, and each of the them had high BBB ratings and zero complaints.
I also learned to demand a contract, have them explain all the small print, and in the case of a larger contract, pay to have my lawyer look it over and make any changes. If the contractor balked at the changes (like 3 days instead of your 30+ days) it was a sign the contractor was a dud.
Saved me a ton of money and grief in the long run.
October 29, 2013 at 7:30 am
What I feel bad about is that I picked this one because of the 3 day estimate and the other contractor who was being honest with his two week estimate lost out. I’m going to be tough though I’m going to consider the part of the contract that says “remove all work related trash” as including that damn dumpster and they are not getting that 10% until it’s gone. And I was so dazzled by the A rating that I didn’t even check BBB … sigh.
October 29, 2013 at 10:27 am
I never, ever, never take user comments about *anything* seriously after I read about how many are shills. Heck, you can even pay a service to “fluff” up your Twitter/FB to make it look like you’re more popular than you really are including a bunch of fake “likes.”
If it involves spending real money over $1.00, I prefer to check more reliable sources like the BBB, a consumer ombudsman or any of the more professional resources out there even if it takes a bit of research.
Took me a couple of weeks to find the “right” contractor to replace my front/back steps, but he did an excellent job, showed up on time, finished on schedule and removed all the debris. Very efficient and very professional. Made me think there was hope in the contracting business.
October 29, 2013 at 10:57 am
I think I learned my lesson and the really good thing is that the carpenter is excellent. I was dreading my husband’s critique as he’s picky but he’s really pleased with the work. This guy should find some better bosses, lol.