Contractor Abandoned job after receiving most of the money
I had a large electrical job that I went through a construction loan to finance. The electrician was paid installments and draws mainly through our lender. We also paid directly for supplies and materials.
Come to find out most of the work that was to be completed has not been done yet. After chasing and following up aggressively (even involving our lender) the contractor has disappeared.
We have the insurance information for the contractor and was wondering if anyone had experience pursuing a claim through the insurance company for an abandoned job? In addition, since there was loan money involved, not sure if those funds were used incorrectly for other instances instead of the job.
Any guidance or experience that can shared will be great appreciated.
[1] When you call him and talk to him what does he say? Why did he stop?
[2] Did you use a state licenced master electrician or some guy off of craigslist claiming "electrical experience on the cheap"?
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Yes, was this a Licensed Electrician? I'm guessing so given the large scope of the job? If so, you can a) Call the State Contractors Board and file a complaint. No Legit Contr wants this as it will show up on their record forever. b) Find out who their Bond is with and go after that. That will get you $15,000 and once again a huge black mark on their record.
Who inspected their work? Usually with a Bank Loan job, there is a 3rd party inspection before any funds are dispersed. Is there something we're missing here?
On top of what everyone has already said, I will add to this a little.
Not all contractors are equal. Period. A good/reliable contractor is worth their weight in gold so that you do not have to deal with these issues.
Quote from @Scott Mac:He is a referral electrician who did good work. He is not a master electrician but we used another master electrician’s license which he co-signed and provided insurance information as well.
[1] When you call him and talk to him what does he say? Why did he stop?
[2] Did you use a state licenced master electrician or some guy off of craigslist claiming "electrical experience on the cheap"?
At this point - he doesn’t answer calls at all. But prior to that it was excuses and long lapses of silence. When he did reappear he would say he had to do other jobs to keep him afloat.
Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:
Yes, was this a Licensed Electrician? I'm guessing so given the large scope of the job? If so, you can a) Call the State Contractors Board and file a complaint. No Legit Contr wants this as it will show up on their record forever. b) Find out who their Bond is with and go after that. That will get you $15,000 and once again a huge black mark on their record.
Who inspected their work? Usually with a Bank Loan job, there is a 3rd party inspection before any funds are dispersed. Is there something we're missing here?
He isn’t a master electrician himself, but we used another master electrician’s license. Both of them provided their insurance information.
Does finding their bond mean contacting their insurance?
Quote from @Nathan Harden:
On top of what everyone has already said, I will add to this a little.
Not all contractors are equal. Period. A good/reliable contractor is worth their weight in gold so that you do not have to deal with these issues.
Been on a bad string of mishaps. Definitely learned contractors are some of the hardest to find.
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Quote from @J Lee:Uh Oh. That should have been a HUGE warning flag for you. Someone doesn't have a license so they use someone else's? Illegal as heck in every state that uses Contractor's Licenses. Would you go to an attorney that was using a friends license? How about a Doctor who lost his license and was borrowing another's?
He isn’t a master electrician himself, but we used another master electrician’s license. Both of them provided their insurance information.Does finding their bond mean contacting their insurance?
So that could good for you if you go after him. It is bad for you because you really should have figured out that that was a warning sign. The judge will chew him our for working unlicensed, he will also chew you out for not paying attention
So if he doesn't have a license, he won't have a Bond. Your only recourse lies in Small Claims Court as far as I can figure. Good luck.
PS - Not sure about your state, could be different....but the basic rules of common sense still apply. Don't hire someone without a license who is using someone else's.....
Go online to your state attorney general and file a fraud complaint against this person. Its free.
They will follow up.
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J Lee,
Have you consulted with your attorney. I would see what they think of the following:
1. contact the master electrician if they have not been contacted.
2. Let them know you will be putting in a claim to their insurance shortly and will be naming both electricians in the suit.
Perhaps they can put pressure on the electrician to settle this. Certainly they do not want their license and reputation tarnished by this incident.
What size of a job was it in connection to the money that was allotted?
Quote from @John Mocker:
J Lee,
Have you consulted with your attorney. I would see what they think of the following:
1. contact the master electrician if they have not been contacted.
2. Let them know you will be putting in a claim to their insurance shortly and will be naming both electricians in the suit.
Perhaps they can put pressure on the electrician to settle this. Certainly they do not want their license and reputation tarnished by this incident.
Hi,
so we got the master electrician involved by putting pressure on him to make up for the work that was supposed to be done. We did tell him that if nothing is done, we will be pursuing legal action against him. His response ultimately consisted of also abandoning the project, and hoping to bury his head in the sand.
So by going after their bond/surety that means going after their insurance through a claim?
Please contact the Florida DBPR. Here is a resource that allows you to search for and verify a Florida Business license https://www.myfloridalicense.c...
This is a sad story, and what's even sadder is it happens a lot.