Q: I had the roof fixed but the contractor overcharged me!
Original quote was #3,700.00 After completed the job, asked for $8,000.00. Then he left one piece of wood in my backyard. Another guy with two workers came the following week. Both job was done on Saturday. I gave the second guy another $8,000.00 check by mistake.
I am wishing I could get my second check amounted at $8,000.00 back!
A:
It sounds like you’re dealing with a serious overcharge and payment mistake with the contractor. Since the original quote was for $3,700 and they charged you $8,000 twice, you may be entitled to a refund for the extra payment. It’s important to review your contract and any agreements you had with the contractor. This will help establish whether the additional charges were justified.
If the extra $8,000 payment was a mistake, contact the contractor immediately, explain the situation, and request the money back in writing. Be sure to keep a record of all communication. If they refuse to return the money or do not respond, you may need to escalate the matter by filing a complaint with the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) or consider small claims court for amounts under $12,500.
To protect yourself in the future, always carefully review bills and keep thorough documentation of all work agreements and payments. This will help you resolve disputes more efficiently.
A:
Hopefully the 2nd check has not yet cleared and you can stop payment. If it has cleared ask the payee to refund it immediately.
Unless the contractor got your written approval to increase the amount after you accepted the original bid, you should be able to recover the difference.
Honestly, and respectfully to you, it seems like you should have a trustworthy family member take over the management of your money. To do this go to an attorney who handles trusts to have things correctly set up.
There may even be legal issues of elder abuse that are present here to aid the efforts to recover monies that the contractor owes you.
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