Q: I hired a handyman to work on my shower. He took half up front (325.00). He showed up a couple of times and disappeare.
He agreed to send a refund but has not after two weeks. I hired someone to finish the job. I took pictures of the mess he made. His helpers broke additional tile on an adjacent wall. They put the stucco all over and we has to chip out the mess on additional tiles
A:
I am sorry for your experience. That must be super frustrating.
You will first need to look at the agreement you signed with the handyman. If this guy was a one-man-band, then its likely that he didn't have you sign a contract. Just because it was an "oral" agreement doesn't mean that it isn't valid though.
Your remedy is your cost to finish the job. Your claim would be that of "breach of contract". I would first try to work it out with him if possible out of court, but you will probably have to take him to small claims. Again, you need to look at the contract to see how it governs the transaction. Look for the price and work performed sections as well as the breach of contract and contract dispute sections, attorneys fees, and costs. There may even be an alternative dispute resolution section that says you have to go to mediation or arbitration prior to filing suit. I hope this helps.
Wes
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