Hope you all are doing well!
I have had the most stressful week in a while and haven't slept. I learned that I really need to go with my gut instincts. I have posted about this unthread.
It all started with having my driveway sealed. A nice young man was driving around my development and saw me and asked if I needed it sealed. Yes. He left a flyer that said he did pressure washing so I hired him for that, however he didn't have a powerful enough pressure washer, so he had a friend who did, help. That young man was very nice, did construction, and I hired him to clean my gutters.
When he power washed, the 25 yo wood just disintegrated and the gutter was hanging off the fascia. This young man gave me a price for his labor to fix the gutter as I bought all the materials.
OMG story short, he underestimated the scope of work and overestimated his abilities. I was trying to be kind and give him work. Well that bit me in the



. I paid upfront for the labor and he came everyday this week with his fiancé to work on the back of the house. Yesterday, he decided he needed to charge me $2800 more to finish the whole house. This is after he had to leave early to get his truck starter fixed, my gutter is laying on the grass and the soffits are off and that area exposed. I have already paid $1000 in labor and he was no where close to being done. He wanted another $600 to finish just the back.
I told him I didn't have any more cash and boom, he decided he wasn't coming back. I am not a cash cow and I am blown away at how kindness is mistaken for weakness. All the metaphors at work here. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. No good deed goes unpunished. Etc etc etc.
I will never pay for work upfront again, despite the down on their luck story. Did I get my $1000 worth of work done? No. Only about $525.00 worth. Did I learn a lesson? Yes. Never again.
There is such a thing as being noble. He could have come and finished what he started. It is not my problem he lives an hour away, has to pay tolls, his starter went, had to pay a second person to go up on the ladder, has to be home by 4 to pick up his daughter, has no money, is behind on his rent, took on a way bigger job than expected that he couldn't handle.
Do you all have any words of wisdom for me as he is coming back tomorrow to pick up his equipment? What do I say?
Sorry this is so long. I haven't slept all week and my adrenal fatigue prevents me from adequately dealing with the stress. Thanks so much. Yes, I was played for a fool.