CuckoosNest
Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Connecticut
I've been working with a contractor on an addition to my house. The project was 99% complete in mid-September (just a few punchlist items outstanding) when the contractor all but disappeared. I owed him a final payment, but there were two additional items to the job that he needed to write up a bill for. I never got the final bill, despite several requests on my behalf.
I re-contacted him recently because some of the work he did has developed serious warrantee issues. He came over to look at the problems and said he'd fix them. He also left his final "Change Order" at that time, nearly three months after I had asked for it.
To my shock, the "Change Order" is for an additional $3649. He added on several things we never discussed (although the Change Order says we did, I can definitely say we didn't), and he boosted the price on the things we did talk about (a $500 item is now being billed at $912; a $250 item is now being billed at $447). He's charging me $266 to fix a mistake that his electrician made. He's even charging me $100 to write up the Change Order! Yes, he's charging me to charge me.
I want to pay this guy what he's fairly owed, but I'm being fleeced by this latest bill. The original contract that I signed has been paid... I never agreed in writing to anything on the Change Order. I did agree verbally to a few things on the list, but certainly not at the prices he's billing me.
What are my rights here? And, in your view, what's the best way to go about getting the flawed work fixed?
I've been working with a contractor on an addition to my house. The project was 99% complete in mid-September (just a few punchlist items outstanding) when the contractor all but disappeared. I owed him a final payment, but there were two additional items to the job that he needed to write up a bill for. I never got the final bill, despite several requests on my behalf.
I re-contacted him recently because some of the work he did has developed serious warrantee issues. He came over to look at the problems and said he'd fix them. He also left his final "Change Order" at that time, nearly three months after I had asked for it.
To my shock, the "Change Order" is for an additional $3649. He added on several things we never discussed (although the Change Order says we did, I can definitely say we didn't), and he boosted the price on the things we did talk about (a $500 item is now being billed at $912; a $250 item is now being billed at $447). He's charging me $266 to fix a mistake that his electrician made. He's even charging me $100 to write up the Change Order! Yes, he's charging me to charge me.
I want to pay this guy what he's fairly owed, but I'm being fleeced by this latest bill. The original contract that I signed has been paid... I never agreed in writing to anything on the Change Order. I did agree verbally to a few things on the list, but certainly not at the prices he's billing me.
What are my rights here? And, in your view, what's the best way to go about getting the flawed work fixed?
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