The way I understand it, in some states w/licensing, the contractor can't take action against you if they are not licensed, but I do not know if it works the other way around, too.
Not to minimize your problems but $750, if that's all you lost is a pain, but it's not a nightmare, IMO. A nightmare is when you lose enough to financially destroy you, and/or your house is uninhabitable and unsafe due to faulty construction, or you end up having to pay alternative living costs (a rent and a mortgage at one time) etc. Also, three days of not showing up is certainly a sign the guy isn't coming back and isn't honoring the contract, but some people have been waiting a whole lot longer. In AZ there is a law that says you must give a home builder--and probably a contractor too--a written notice, and give them a certain amount of time to respond. These laws go by so many names i can't keep track of them but the most well known is probably right-to-repair. The law passed in about 2002.
Unless you have an arbitration clause the contractor will force you to use, I do agree w/judge that small claims could be your best bet, but just a word from someone who's actually teetered on the edge of an actual "nightmare" as described above, and came out alright by just sticking to it...don't let $750 ruin your life. I do hope you will pursue it...IMO letting contractors get away with relatively little rip offs only leads to them committing bigger ones.
Good luck!