Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
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Terms and Conditions
I've been reading through a lot of the posts here and most of them say not to pay a contractor until the work is done. While I agree with that we are looking at a landscaper and they want 1/3 down and 2/3 upon completion. Looking for some direction here. He's 2 months out to do the work and I'd feel better giving him the 1/3 just before starting. Comments please....
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#2
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Now that pools are in such high demand it wouldn't surprise me if some installers wanted a down payment to hold your position in line. I would be less comfortable paying that kind of reservation fee but might accept it from a good company that is known to be reliable. I wouldn't pay a lawn service in advance unless I had used their service, knew their work, felt they were reliable, and was getting a good discount.
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Why do people insist on making claims without looking them up first, do they really think no one will check? Proof by emphatic assertion rarely works. Confirmation bias is real; I can find any number of articles that say so. Victor, NY Randallstown, MD Yakima, WA Stevensville, MD Village of Hillsborough |
#3
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#4
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You probably have no choice. But the story would be the contractor should be able to finance its work. If it can not them maybe you should not deal with them. But then you might not find a contractor. I gave a deposit for some landscaping from a contractor who was active in the area and had a good reputation. But communications broke down including he did not deposit my check. I finally stopped payment and he then showed up that day to finish the discussion. He said he would start the work with no deposit. Long story short he did not show up and I hired another contractor and gave him a deposit (but I did know this person).
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#5
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Here are two other options. One is to agree to pay the supplier directly for the materials when they are delivered to your house. Another option is to agree to make progress payments based on the amount of work completed. But, paying a third of the cost either in cash or by check before any work was completed would be totally unacceptable to me, and could very well result in you losing all of the money. It happens often.
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#6
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If you felt you had no choice but to pay a deposit put it on a credit card but would also get some sort of a contract signed by contractor. |
#7
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OP, you can also check out the contractor with the BBB and seniors against crime, this will let you know if they have any complaints. Also there is a Florida webiste to check for license, insurance, etc. I will need to look this up.
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Pennsylvania, for 60+ years, most recently, Allentown, now TV. |
#8
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The BBB
All the BBB's are simply franchised business they are not a non profit agency. Here's they they work when I was in NY they call up the biz and say they had an inquiry about your biz. If you would like us to hold any complaint against your company you have to join for $900 a year. If you do you won't have a negative rating and can advertise you're a BBB approved Biz Total scam. Crimes against seniors are good but they have no power to do anything. Now getting to original ? There are more landscaper complaints here I think than any other trade. If they don't have funds to buy materiel's or credit with their suppliers they are not very established are they as in will they finish? Or never show up. They should have credit with a nursery, credit with say home depot for block wall materiel etc. If they can't get credit they go to you finance their biz. Keep looking don't get sucked into any pitch about $$$ upfront. Don't sign a contract, ask for a quote in writing agree to pay upon completion or tell them simply they will not get the job, stand your ground. .
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Nova Water filters |
#9
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If they have to purchase materials I think a third is reasonable.
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#10
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#11
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So, you give them a check for a thousand dollars, they cash it, and you never see them again. Then, you start a thread on TOTV complaining that the company cheated you. Do a search and you will find many threads like that.
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#12
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Our landscaper did not require a dime up front, purchased landscaping stone, bushes, plants and materials to build a wall around our palm tree out of pocket. He even picked out the plants and brought me the receipt for the wholesale prices he paid. Did an excellent job in lightning speed.
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#13
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I would not give more than 1/3
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#14
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Just say no unless a well verified contractor . The only time it's justified is when it's a custom product like a screen door or window for your home and they have to order it themselves in advance.
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#15
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Landscaping
Got suckered into a landscaping nightmare!! I didn’t think I was that stupid but boy was I. Please always check the person out and don’t give upfront money!!
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