Business Contracts Contractor didn't perform contract and has left unfinished job

[Patmiafl]

Jurisdiction

Florida

I hired a contractor to do my kitchen and vanity with new cabinets and countertop , signed a contract , went to see the workshop and payments were made some direct to their sub contractors. The job has been not finalized yet it's still missing the plumbing , finish the cabinets and the vanity . There are a lot of excuses coming from the contractor about surgery in the teeth, son the fell Hoover and was at hospital , employee that has heart surgery etc keep saying will come and never does . I got to the point I said would make a complain and he gave for today coming with 3 guys and finish . Today in the morning said forgot about the holiday and will be here Tuesday . I ask to bring the doors and cabinet or show picture and he doesn't . Not that this all by email as I can't not even call as don't pick up. Please advise how to proceed . Payment was done in full to him and direct to their contractors .
I have all in writing and not sure if he will come to finished job after saying upfront to delivery the doors or show me pictures , he say that he wanted to finished that it's the sub contractors and I don't know what to do , please help best way to recover my loss. Contact was signed end of June and supposedly should had finished in 4 and 1/2 weeks

 

[KyleW]

First off I would like to say (from personal experience and as a freelance programmer) NEVER pay upfront for the job. Even myself as a freelancer for any amount of money for a job, I take 1/2 upfront and 1/2 on delivery. Any professional Contractor should not even accept full payment for a big job if they are on the up and up. That 2nd half of the payment is your leverage which you don't have anymore.

As for the time frame whether he is telling you the truth or not, unless he has a guarantee for that time frame in the contract, I don't think there is anything you can do.

One way to kick his butt into gear is that a lot of people running a business rely heavily on Yelp. You can write a nasty horrible review and give him a 1 star rating. I have gotten a lot of stuff done due to Yelp reviews against a company.

You can try contacting him again and give him an ultimatum like: "You have 5 business days to start production back up, refund me the money for the jobs I didn't pay for, or I'll see you in court".

Another thing you should do if you haven't is validate his license and insurance. I have a strange feeling that something there is wrong solely based on the fact he accepted full payment upfront. Most Contractors or General Contractors have massive credit at Lowes and Home Depot so they don't need all the money right away.

If you do have to go to court:
Print out all emails, text messages, and call logs of all your correspondents with him. Also take pictures of what he has/hasn't done along with a copy of the contract.

And this looks like it has some decent resources as well:
Where to turn for help if you have a complaint

 

[adjusterjack]

Payment was done in full

I saw that coming.

Whatever hassle you have to go through now is because you paid in full before the job was done.

Never to that again.

 

[army judge]

I hired a contractor to do my kitchen and vanity with new cabinets and countertop , signed a contract , went to see the workshop and payments were made some direct to their sub contractors. The job has been not finalized yet it's still missing the plumbing , finish the cabinets and the vanity . There are a lot of excuses coming from the contractor about surgery in the teeth, son the fell Hoover and was at hospital , employee that has heart surgery etc keep saying will come and never does . I got to the point I said would make a complain and he gave for today coming with 3 guys and finish . Today in the morning said forgot about the holiday and will be here Tuesday . I ask to bring the doors and cabinet or show picture and he doesn't . Not that this all by email as I can't not even call as don't pick up. Please advise how to proceed . Payment was done in full to him and direct to their contractors .
I have all in writing and not sure if he will come to finished job after saying upfront to delivery the doors or show me pictures , he say that he wanted to finished that it's the sub contractors and I don't know what to do , please help best way to recover my loss. Contact was signed end of June and supposedly should had finished in 4 and 1/2 weeks

You may have been scammed.
Have you contacted the police?

You can quickly discover if the person you paid in full is a LICENSED FL contractor by inquiring on this state agency's site:
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Licensing Portal - License Search
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Once you discover your scammer is unlicensed, this is where you go to start HOWLING:
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DBPR: Home Page

 

[KyleW]

You also may want to check state laws as well. Here in California, an unlicensed contractor cannot sue to get paid, and even if the job is done, perfect, and fully paid for; the home owner can sue and be awarded all their money back. I tried searching that for you in the event that he is unlicensed but couldn't find anything that good like that for you which is a bummer.