Good work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't good !

Yes, it is legal in Florida. In Maryland, the contractor can only request a 1/3 deposit, but the homeowner doesn't need to pay it. But, even if you pay a deposit, the homeowner can require it to be paid with a credit card, where the charge can be disputed with the bank within 60 days of the statement date. Any reputable contractor should accept credit card payments. And, as long as you agree in writing that the materials will be delivered within 60 days of the credit card charge, the homeowner has no risk with the credit card payment. If the materials are delayed, you can cancel the credit card charge and issue a new charge.

Never pay anyone in advance, i know at least half a dozen folks in the villages that have lost thousands by doing so.

Take it to court in reality is an illusion. An Attorney will cost you like $300 an hour.
There is small claims court. In my life, I've done that twice, not in Florida. I won and collected both times. That is actually impressive. A large percentage of people that win in small claims court never collect. When, I did it, not in Florida it cost less than $20 to file the case. I've been corrected. In Florida it is far more expensive to file and the cost to file goes up with the amount of the case.

Sadly typical posts. Some people are so weak in ego that they need to berate others.
We are sooooooo lucky to live with people who have never made a mistake in their lives.

As far as legal. You may need legal advice. If, the materials are on your site, do you own them?

As far as credit cards. There is no shortage of partial and incorrect information. If, you dispute a charge on a credit card the credit card company will investigate. It is at best fuzzy. They will delay paying for I think it is 90 days. The person, company that billed you must agree to forfeit or reduce the charge. They do not simply say you are wrong and we are not paying.

Regarding cc disputes
The cc will investigate but if merchant/contractor claims they completed the agreement, the cc company will usually allow the payment and tell you that you have a right to take the merchant to court.

I guess the cc companies do not want to involved in potential lawsuits.

You should have contacted Decorative Concrete.
 

You should have contacted Decorative Concrete. We had a quote 3 yrs ago from another painter and it was about $1500 more because they had to grind off the old paint job that was done 15 years ago. Cliff Rider is an honest, polite guy and didn't ask for payment until the job was done.

We used stone creations. They did our drive last spring and did a great job. Only took a couple of days and price was very reasonable.

That is not correct. When you dispute a credit card charge, the bank must immediately remove the charge and investigate the issue, and make a fair determination of whether the merchant complied with the transaction. This process is mandated by Federal law for banks that are regulated by the Government. In a case where materials were ordered and never delivered, the bank is not going to allow the merchant to keep the money. It is an open and shut case.

Concrete Doctor
 

Do you have a phone number? Can’t find on internet

Clearly you don't know about lawsuits. You act as it's simple and easy and a guarantee. Number one proving it is difficult number two collecting on it is almost impossible. Good luck with that

Yes, I was a dufus, a rare occasion, because I practice due dilligence usually. We at the same time were selling our rental next door and I was really busy. Lesson learned to not let my guard down. Thanks for your response.

Definitely not cheap.

603-673-1750

I find comments like yours quite curious. What makes a consumer reputable, vs. a contractor being reputable? Why should I - as a contractor - put up potentially thousands of dollars in materials needed for a job in the hopes that my "reputable" customer is going to come through at job's end with the agreed upon costs of the job? Some consumers might just be well-versed in the fine art of being a b@llbuster, finding nit-picky reasons to decline paying for a contractor's job just to get a cheaper price in the end. Ah, just the costs of doing business, right?

I'm not a contractor, by the way. But where I come from, everyone's got to have skin in the game. That means you (and I) put up money in advance for, say, half of the job's cost, and the contractor doesn't get paid in full until the job is completed in an agreed upon manner.

There are risks on both ends of the deal, not just on one side. That's fair. What are the consequences of a contractor not following through? There are legal and social media repercussions. Does anyone think "Trish" is going to benefit from the OP's post here on what happened? I don't. Can the OP also file legal complaints? Absolutely.

As far as the customer is concerned, due diligence is a must. Sure, anyone can have a bad experience even when local reviews/ratings on a contractor's work are great. But for the most part, these reviews should normally be prologue on what to expect in the end. Don't use a contractor for personality reasons. Find out in advance who they've done work for, and see if you can contact the people who had the work done.