Okay, it is time to fess up - everything is not great here at Tramp's Camp. It seems that Irrigation Guy has departed under duress - after he did not show up when he said he would and our pond dried up to the point that the pump was sucking air. We arrived home from an out of town trip just in time to add water and save the pump. We were barely gone over 24 hours... We were not happy and he did not offer any reason why - in fact, he said he had been by while we were gone and when I asked him why he didn't turn water on for the pond, he said that he had lied and did not come by at all! I was pretty darned unhappy and made certain he knew it... I told him to come up with a plan to stop the leaks and get the job done!So last Monday when four sprinkler stations all came on at the same time (supposedly not possible due to low water pressure...) and ran for two hours before I found them and then would not turn off, Irrigation Guy would not return our calls/messages to his cell phone and business/home phone for help. Needless to say, I did eventually get them to shut down by hitting a reset button but it was after some serious duress on my part. Tramp 1 was in Utah, so he couldn't help at all... Seems the controller box has come to life and wants to change times on the stations - a ten minute drip program was changed to 4 hours and 15 minutes. Around here that qualifies as a seasonal creek! We had this system installed to save water - we live in a desert!
So now, after receiving legal counsel, we sent a certified letter of demand for breach of contract to him and we are waiting to see if he responds. And we are tracking the letter for receipt. We sure do hope he does call within the time frame allowed. We want to maintain a working relationship with him. But we are also ready to pursue whatever legal remedies are deemed necessary. This has gone on long enough.
We feel like we need some serious feng shui here... Anybody have any ideas for us? Maybe an anti-voodoo doll? We are sure open to options. Isn't it all about hope and change?
11 comments:
Wow, I'm so sorry to hear you've been going through this. I had a bad time with a contractor a couple of years ago---it was horribly stressful, so I can imagine what you are going through. I would opt for the voodoo doll---I have extra pins if you need them!
:)
Hang in there--eventually this WILL be resolved. Hopefully, before it drives you all over the edge. Best of luck! I'll be thinking of you.
Well, it is not exactly like hope and change is working so great! If you don't hear from the guy with the letter my advice would be to move on ...save your legal money and use it to get the system fixed. The guy probably has nothing that you can attach to and the frustration will be unbelievable...someone should be able to come out and figure it out...
Sue,
Yes, we are sure feeling a bit beat up over this. This same guy is the sub that the pond guy used to repair our pond - that is going to have to be disputed, too, as a separate issue. But these guys have to know you can't rip people off.
Sheryl,
We can get restitution for this if necessary. He carries a bond and insurance with the Lanscape Contractors Board. We just hope he calls - the letter was attempted to be delivered yesterday but he wasn't home. Time will tell...
hope it works out for you...with a bond you have a chance..how do people keep working with a reputation like this?
Sheryl,
Sure makes you wonder, doesn't it? I still hold out hope that he is on vacation without his cell phone and will arrive home and call... He lives in a small town and a complaint against his license could destroy his business. If he does not respond within five days after receipt of the letter, I will be heading to the state capital, complaint paperwork in hand to roll this thing very quickly... He should know we will follow through - I told him we would...
Do what you can to work it out, out of court. It's really hard to prove someones' incompetence in court. You'd think, not doing the job would be enough, but it probably isn't. Justice does not come easy. Good luck.
Good luck on getting everything fixed, my friend!
How do these people get away with this and stay in business? Makes me sick. Hope you get things dealt with.
I had an electrician who took almost a year to finish a job, only after I called the Sheriff and asked what my rights were... Said that, unless the contractor literally walks off the job, there's little you can do if they stop by every week or so to diddle with this or that... well, my guy hadn't diddled me in over three months (interesting choice of words, there), and I wanted it done and the long snaking trench in my yard filled back up... so, I called the Sheriff, again, (BTW, on both calls I never mentioned the man's name, said I just wanted to know my rights)... well, the very next morning an electrician comes to the house because his friend asked him to come by... short story longer, the job was finished and I saw the electrician about six months, later, on my front porch... said he finally had his act together and wanted to apologize... aaarrgghhh... it's so nice to know this is not an uncommon thing... come visit when you're not vexed...
Wow.. in this economy you wouldn't think anyone would want to shirk a job. Hope it works out!
Reading back to earlier posts, it appears you have a "mouse problem"
A perfect solution I offer you: get a small cat, underfeed it and your problem will go away. Mice smell cats and shy away soon.
One good reason having a cat vs a dog. With a big bowl of water, one of chow and a litter box a cat survives fine when the people go off. And that is the time mice are more active; an empty house. I despise those little rascals after I find holes in food bags.
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