They never came back. I assume they went to look for him and he has them locked up in his basement for rape time.

It's amazing this guy can do this over and over.

What kind of dumbass will buy thousands of dollars of materials and spend weeks of labor without money up front? That knife cuts both ways.

Sorry you got screwed. Don't hire craigslist contractors.

true ... but you know where they live, they can disappear.

Every single one of my clients knows where my shop is and most of them got my number from a friend. I agree with the premise that you don't give a nickel to some idiot off the internet but if you want a big project done, you have to give money to a legitimate contractor or you won't be able to do business with him. I know where a couple of my clients live... One owes me $2k and another owes me over $15k. If they're not moving or selling anytime soon, I can't do anything about it.

12 gauge pump ....

not really talking about you ... just in general.

I will buy the supplies and sit them in my yard... You will be working for me, you will either do business my way or go work for someone else ... Savvy?

You have the protection of mechanics liens and court.

Obviously the scale of the job plays a big role, and money up front or draws are necessary at times. But do you really see yourself asking for money up front for either of the two jobs mentioned in this thread? $2500 of lumber or $800 of fencing?

As I said on my previous post in this thread, if the contractor asks for money for materials. Go to the supplier and buy the materials yourself.

BINGO... Unless they want to put a lien on the title to their truck or boat or whatever...

I'm just saying that in general, a contractor has limited recourse if a client chooses not to pay him. He can take a lien out on their house and renew it every year until they die and the house is sold but who wants to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees chasing money they may or may not get 30 years down the road? I suppose a contractor could get violent or vindictive if that's the kind of person that they are but I'm not really willing to risk my freedom for any amount of money.

I know exactly where you are coming from... Brother in laws have been contractors for years... Pay as you go is a good practice ...

I doubt I'd be asking for money up front on an $800, one-day job. But I'd ask for money if I was spending a couple grand on materials and not going to finish the job for a couple weeks. That's fair. If my materials are sitting on a client's job site and either one of us gets hit by a bus, we are both protected if they're paid for and sitting on their property. I make sure my clients are comfortable with the money they've paid out and the progress of their job. If they go nuts and decide they're not paying, I don't want to get hurt and if I go nuts and ditch their job, I don't want them to get hurt either.

We gave $1,200 to the guys doing work at our house. They would start the next day. But, we knew them and hired them because they had done a 3 month job across the street from our old house.

We are real happy with their work. We were definitely concerned that we didn't know someone and wish we would have Phobia to do it but its a new neighborhood.

But giving someone off craigslist without knowing them................They have committed two felonies. The police should take it seriously. You will get your money back if the catch them.

That's fine with me. But I'd say you're a very unique person. Most of my clients don't want anything to do with any of the process. They just want it to look like the picture when we're done and they don't care how it gets that way.