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May 31, 2008
Contractor- How I can charge him with fraud Part 2
Recently posted on this and received mostly sarcastic comments to a very distressful situation.
Nonetheless below are my findings:
File complaint with NYC Dept of Consumer Affairs
He needs to be licensed to do this work and if he isn't fines will accrue
File Complaint with State Attorney's Office
File Complaint with Better Business Bureau
File Complaint with Federal Trade Commission
Last but not least small claims court- attorney
Have done all of the above....he will pay.
Comments
"He will pay"...bad B-movie quote?
Normally I would be sympathetic to anyone with a bad experience with contractors (been there, done that,) but OP's tone piqued my interest and I read the original thread.
So he went a couple of days over? He did not bring the right number of crew (how does that matter if the job gets done)? How do you know that the Internet printout wasn't just to get tips rather than evidence that he didn't know to install the molding? Why do you believe his possibly disgruntled employee? etc etc.
Here's another sarcastic comment: were I a contractor, I might be leery of working for you based on this evidence.
Posted by: cmu at May 31, 2008 3:10 PM
it's been said before... there are always two sides to a story.When you hear only one side- how can anyone decide about it?
There are contractors that are crooks, those that are incompetent,and those that are great, and some that are good enough.
There are also customers from hell, homeowners that are totally unrealistic, h/o's that are crooks in their own way ,too. Some that are wonderful, and some are indifferent.
You never know who you've got until you can weigh both sides of the issue!
Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 3:40 PM
cmu = one more registered user who thinks they get to police the forum. Obviously there are 2 sides to every story, but who among us doesn't know a perfectly decent rational homeowner who has been screwed by a contractor? The OP came here to ask for solutions to a problem. They got crap from people when they posted tat request for info. Then OP goes away and finds out the answers on their own. They are generous enough to come back here and educate the rest of us to the procedures available. They get more crap. Thanks OP for contributing.
Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 7:30 PM
No the OP is just an attention whore who is using this forum to vent her frustrations due to a poor decision that she made and an even worse decision on how to handle her first mistake. cmu is right and he is a professional, argentina (aka yasabelle) is an armature and will continue to have problems due to her negativity. It doesn't take a genius to see that.
Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 8:25 PM
lol...incredible....are these people here posting also contractors?
the comments have ranged from the juvenile name calling to downright hostility; I just hope you people don't live in my neighgborhood.......(i doubt it i think most of you are the white angry people that have moved into our neighborhoods and act like you own it.)
it is significant that he claims he went over and still did not finish a pretty major part of it...if your contractor brings a "how to" from the internet as in how to install a window, how to fix a leak, how to replace a roof,...well chances are he doesn't KNOW HOW TO...I can google and do construction on my own and have...but I HIRED someone because I wanted a better level of quality since it is "finish" work.
gee i've never been called an "armature"...pretty amusing.
I am an architect though.
CMU doens't know jack..what kind of professional is he?
Posted by: argentina at May 31, 2008 11:42 PM
To guest8:25pm.
Your off your rocker.........I am not posting under the name argentina..
Posters want to blame other posters for there own shortcomings.
To the poster of the inquiry..........
Don't cry for me argentina!
Yikes........Who the hell wants to be famous on this board?
There are several assorted nuts on the brownstoner website....
Help Mr. B................The're pickin on me..............Whaaaaaaaaa!
Posted by: Ysabelle at May 31, 2008 11:47 PM
GITANAS UNITE!
Posted by: Ysabelle at June 1, 2008 12:12 AM
Ysabelle:
I hear ya sister!
just think - someone who uses "armature" is not the arbiter of the "genius" level of other posters.....for a moment I thought george bush was posting...
"guest 8:25" probably says nukular.
Posted by: argentina at June 1, 2008 1:11 PM
OK ladies, let's leave the race thing out of it. Argentina, Do you really think the white people who have moved into the neighborhood where you live are angry? If they've moved in they probably do own part of it, but why would they be angry at some latina who has been there longer? That doesn't make much sense. You don't want to feed the more typical stereotype of "angry black men" resentful that they can't afford to buy in the neighborhood their from while whites move in.
Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 1:23 PM
Your an architect? yeah right. And you don't have a contractor in your back pocket that can install crown moulding. Do you handle situations like this for your professional clients. I smell BS. Fake post.
Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 5:45 PM
To 5;45pm
If the architect had a contractor in her back pocket it would be a tiny one.
Man, what a dumbass response but it is called freedom of speech.
Me, I am prayin for Gato Barbieri to finish the ops job.
if the job goes badly again, at least the music is good!
Posted by: Ysabelle at June 1, 2008 6:20 PM
to guest 1:23
I agree about the leaving race out of it but I'll say this- there is a peevishness coming across in this post that is particular of white culture. A cynicism, a smallness and lack of generosity if you will.
As a landlord of a small 5 unit building in bklyn I can say that it is funny/peculiar how my tenants will walk by me if we are out and about in the neighborhood without as much as a greeting. I can only contrast this with the other minority residents (black and hispanic), some have been on this particular block for decades (i haven't) who say hello, who stop and chat, who inquire about my mother who is ill, etc. without knowing my name.
It is unfortunate because bklyn use to be about the neighborhood, and we have lost that with the... ehrmmm.... "new" residents and this is very apparent on this site.
Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 7:47 PM
Ysabelle,
You were calling yourself an interior decorator and now an architect. YOU should be charged with fraud.
Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 8:15 PM
To 8;15pm.
This is not my post and I am not calling myself an architect.
I should be charged with fraud?
You should be charged for iliteracy.
Go to night school!
Mr. B...........They are doin it again!
Posted by: Ysabelle at June 1, 2008 9:42 PM
Interior painting contractors DO NOT need to be licensed. Painters, like wall papering and floor sanding, DO NOT need a NYC Home Improvement Contractors license. I suspect that the crown moulding installation may if he charged over $200 labor. That said let me take a guess at his motivation for saying yes to your job. Planned to sub it out from the beginning but sub was not available...Can't finish the painting until the crown mouldings are installed...So he's stuck and out of desperation thinks he will try it himself. My question to you is this. Why would you even want to let this guy install your crown mouldings if the plaster and painting job was not even up to your standards? We are talking about finish carpentry over existing crooked plaster I'm guessing? I would hope that you would try and find another carpenter who could do the job and subtract that amount from the bill.
I'm an understanding person who has had a great relationship with almost every contractor who has come into my home. Of coarse i do a lot of research, pay well, and never rush someone when I see that they are going to go beyond their time estimate. I'm not willing to see the quality of the work suffer. That said, I hope you are able to come to some understanding and finish the work.
By the way, the Better Business Bureau is a scam.
Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 11:24 PM
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