Complaint Review: Fritcher's Heating/AC/Plumbing - Baldwinsville New York

Mr. Thomas Fritcher, owner and manager of Fritcher's Heating & Plumbing of Baldwinsville, NY, responded to the mediation efforts of the Better Business Bureau of Upstate NY and contacted us in a relatively timely manner to arrange repayment of the disputed amount of $3,060.  As of one week ago today, Mr. Thomas Fritcher has made full remittance.  

Being a difficult customer would mean:


-not accepting or being satisfied with ANY resolution at all; however, I waited approximately 1  1/2 months for the company to contact me on its own and offer a resolution before involving the BBB.  After involving the BBB, I was willing to wait one month to give the company ample time to respond before submitting documentation to the NY Attorney General.  Shortly after the BBB complaint was filed, the company contacted me to work out a resolution, which is in progress.


-setting a more stringent repayment schedule for the money that should have NEVER been spent in the first place; however, I offered the company the option to set THEIR repayment terms.


-not stopping my mother from sending in the prepared documentation and paperwork to the NY Attorney General tomorrow morning after she was ready to challenge Klondike's definition of being difficult (Klondike, if you are a family member or friend, you are not helping this company with your remarks-especially, if I can't stop my mother from mailing the documentation).  As it is, my mother believes that everything should still be submitted to the NY Attorney General for review, regardless of the outcome in order to protect others from the same treatment; however, I am treating this as a special needs case in that everyone makes mistakes and am willing to give the company the opportunity to redeem itself.


-not going above and beyond my end of the agreed upon resolution terms; however, I have done more than what I promised to do on my end of the agreement, except for posting my final update here (Putting my faith in the company once again as I have received less than 1/4 of agreed upon repayment).  I am not posting the final update until the terms are complete and the content of the update becomes a fact.

Thats a good reply, this customer is sure to be difficult!!!

We are in the process of resolving this entire situation.......I will update when resolution is complete.  

Keep in mind, we have had bad experiences in the past with everyone we have called in our house to do work.

This statement is very telling.  You've had problems with EVERYONE?  Between this statement and your "war and peace" size novella postings, I can quickly see a trend.

I suggest that in the future, you perform the work yourself.  Somehow, I think you're the type of customer that always changes your mind and can never be pleased.

This doesn't excuse the behavior of this contractor, but it surely explains why he may have been extremely frustrated with you to the point of losing his temper.

I own a computer services firm that caters to businesses.  You are an example of why I refuse to work on consumer computers.

Good luck in the future.  Quit posting your novellas and simply go to court and let a judge decide.

hello

the amount of time you have spent online bashing this company you could have went to contractor school and simply did it yourself. This site is for complaints, not novels

On April 30, 2011, I will submit my complaint with all evidence to the New York Attorney General should Mr. Fritcher fail to respond to my efforts to resolve this matter with assistance from the Better Business Bureau(BBB).  I will let the Attorney General decide which laws related to home improvement contractors he broke.....I can already think of two or three....

Dear Author,


You probably should have never given the contractor all of the money upfront.  A payment schedule should have been created and agreed upon, with no more than half down and additional payments made as work is completed. 



Did you try contacting the Attorney General in your state?  They may take an interest in prosecuting the contractor if he has broken state laws.  It could also help others to have the complaint on file if they should run into the same problem you did.  Too many complaints to the Attorney General usually moves forward with investigation and possible prosecution.  Who knows?  Maybe he will order restitution.  In the state of New York, the contact information is:


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http://www.nyknowyourcontractor.com/cfmqstaticdocs/




SEARCH CONTRACTORS




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HELPFUL HINTS




http://www.nyknowyourcontractor.com/hmipdf/Contractor_Tip_card_web.pdf




HOME IMPROVEMENT RESOURCES




http://www.nyknowyourcontractor.com/cfmqstaticdocs/home_improvement.html




PRESS RELEASES




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FILE A COMPLAINT




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Based on my experiences and the experiences of others, ALL contractors turn out to be con artists:  


-convincing property owners that they need work done when they really don't need it done
-double charging for materials and labor
-quoting high prices because they don't feel like doing the work
-defective craftsmanship
-failure to show up and complete contracted work.  

 You are a very sick individual. I'm a contractor in Florida and I wouldn't work one day for you if you offered me a million dollars. You're not exactly coming off as a rational sane person with these ridiculous posts and you tube post. Timothy, I can feel your pain!

"To the person who filed this complaint:  You fall under the category of one of those companies that try to get everything for free."



Just to be clear.I am not a company, I am individual consumer.  I expect to pay fair market price for any product and/or service.  In fact, it is very rare for me to ever complain to the company or an individual about any product or service.  I usually throw the product out or never call the service provider for future service.  In this case, I am not out a couple hundred.It is more like a couple thousand.




I even wrote a few checks out to the business for more than the quoted amount because I understand how difficult construction/remodeling work can be and wanted to show my appreciation to only be treated poorly later.






"You only see in people how much you can use them. Two bathrooms in 6 days?  I bet that is some good quality work."




I was the one who got used.Like I was the contractor's personal bank account.




Even though the work wasn't done, he asked for more money during Christmas to get special items for his daughter.I wrote out a check for every request he made for more money.All he had completed was one bathroom-barely; Yet, he had collected all but $1,500 of the amount by the end of December.  Having most of the money and abandoning the job for 3-4 weeks is also another example of how my flexibility was taken advantage of.  If he would have stopped after the first voicemail apology and followed through with his promise to complete the remaining work like I originally wanted him to do, I would've given him a $500 cash bonus.


Are you an individual or business who also engages in the same behavior/practices?  If so, I am sorry for anyone who is on the other end of that.






"Get of the computer and go do the work yourself and maybe you will see how much work things involve.
P.S. hustle!"




I plan on doing the much of the work myself now and in the future, other than plumbing and electrical work because I am not a plumber or an electrician.  My time was spent observing and assisting (when appropriate or asked) with the contracted bathroom remodeling work.  I already have designed, managed, and performed the work on home improvement projects myself.  Recently, I repaired the busted pipe from under the kitchen sink from this particular contractor's previous work....

To the person who filed this complaint:

You fall under the category of one of those companies that try to get everything for free.

You only see in people how much you can use them. Two bathrooms in 6 days?

I bet that is some good quality work.

Get of the computer and go do the work yourself and maybe you will see how much work things involve.

P.S. hustle!

With the English language being composed of a minimum of 1/4 of a million words and impossible to quantify, I will probably refrain from making a public judgement about the validity of a word without proper research in the future.


I knew I was wrong shortly after I sent that second e-mail.  I allowed to much emotional banter into that second e-mail (sent after the second voicemail) and did not do the proper research before taking the liberty to correct someone's language-just because it didn't sound right to me does not mean that it wasn't right......


Honestly, through all the adds on Free Dictionary, It took me a while to even located the definition....I looked the word up on Merriam-Webster's Official Website prior to assuming it wasn't a word and before the composition of the second e-mail, without realizing I was accessing the limited access online dictionary (a subscription was necessary) where the word, "observative," was not found.  

Am I lazy?  Sometimes.  This was a case of haste, though.....More sloppy, than lazy.


Like the purpose of this report:


-If you are wrong admit it
-If you are wrong fix it


If I expect it from others, I will work to deliver the same as well......Like this response totally agreeing with you.  I already thought, what an idiot before you even said it.....Trust me when I say, I am harder on myself than anyone could ever be.....


Thank you, Educated, for commenting and providing a prompt to address my error.  A related update is in the process of being posted....That is, if it ever posts....

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Observative

If you want to be the type of person that is trying to file a complaint but you then want to nit pick every little problem and try to correct people by saying the word observative isn't a word, please get a dictionary. How lazy are you? Here I did the work for you:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Observative

Educate yourself before you come off like a fool please. I was very interested in your report and then you go off on a stupid tangent like that and are wrong about it on top of it...AND YOU HAVE THE FREAKING INTERNET RIGHT THERE TO CHECK!

After four months, the new plumbing he put under the kitchen sink (the work we were, at one time, satisfied with), broke apart and water flooded our kitchen and saturated the kitchen cabinets the night before we were scheduled to get new kitchen counters installed.....Now I have to pay extra to have someone competent fix his error.....

I have put the last voicemails into a YouTube stream as to allow you, the consumer, to determine for yourself what kind of person Tom Fritcher really is.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XK3LEAsRYE

My Final Email (Apparently he and his wife have no conscious because they can keep money for work that was never done.  All they are are criminals.)

Tom,

I officially fire you from the job.  Keep the money even though you didn't do the work.

Good luck in the future.

Rachel and Mary Province

My Response To His Response To Email 2

Tom,

You still seem to be confused about what is still left dangling.  This is what is still exactly left to be completed.  Well, if you can complete it all in one day, so be it.  

Tom

Master Bath

-Custom Shelf (Contracted To Nick) to cover the uneven tile work-Fix Loose Escushion On Shower Head-Caulk Around Toilet-Caulk Behind Toilet-Finish Putting Base Cove On-Tuck Flooring Under Door Trim, It is not neat like the other floors-Install 1 Outlet and 2 Switches (All White)

Main Bath

-Install Light Fan-Install Light Fixture-Install Mirror-Install Medicine Cabinet-Install 4-Piece Bath Hardware Set-Install 3 Outlets and 2 Switches (All White)

Powder Room

-Install New Fan-Install Light Fixture-Install Mirror-Install Toilet Paper Holder-Install Hand Towel Rack-Install 2 Outlets and 2 Switches)

Heating & Cold Air Return Vent Covers

-1 Heat Register (Master Bedroom)-7 Cold Air Returns (4 - 2nd floor bedrooms, 3 - family room, formal living room, and formal dining room)

Basement

-Replace Carrier Pipes To Stop Leaking-Take Care Of Exposed Electrical Wires-Take Care Of 3 Needle Poke Lines In Copper-Replace Ice Maker Line-Replace Laundry Tub-Replace Dryer Vent Ducts-Refit The Window-Like Area Where Dryer Vent Duct Goes To The Outside

Sump Pump

-Adhere The Outside Pipes Together In Order To Prevent The Fountain-Like Spray and Water Pooling Against House

Electrical 

(ALL OUTLETS, SWITCHES, and OUTLET COVERS ARE TO BE WHITE/CLEAR WHITE)

(RE-LABEL & ENSURE THAT INTERIOR BREAKER BOX IS IN GOOD SHAPE -IT IS A CONFUSING MESS)

Unfinished Basement Section (GFCI Grounded) -2 Outlets -4 Outlets -2 Additional Outlets (Cat Genies) -1 Switch Finished Basement Section  (GFCI Grounded) -10 Outlets -1 Dimmer Switch -1 Dimmer Switch and Switch Combo -1 Switch Kitchen  (GFCI Grounded) -8 Outlets & 1 Outlet Under Kitchen Sink -1 Double Switch Combo -1 Dimmer Switch and Switch Combo Entry & Entry Hall -1 Outlet -2 Double Switch Combos -1 Single Switch Family Room -5 Outlets -1 4 Switch and Switch Plate Combo -1 Switch Formal Living Room -5 Outlets -1 Switch Formal Dining Room -4 Outlets -1 Dimmer Switch 2nd Floor Hall -1 Outlet -2 Switches Bedroom 3 -4 Outlets -1 Switch Bedroom 4 -4 Outlets -1 Switch Bedroom 2 -5 Outlets -1 Switch Master Bedroom -5 Outlets -1 Switch -1 Lighted Attic Light Switch Screened Porch  (GFCI Grounded) -2 Outlets Garage  (GFCI Grounded) -4 Outlets -1 Double Switch Combo

Install 6 Exterior Lights (Pick two of these.  I will keep my $60 and have the rest installed) -1 Porch -2 Garage -1 Flood Light (Garage) -1 Side Garage Door -1 Back Door

His Response To Email 2

Rachel, I have every intention of finishing the electrical and installing the laundry tub. I will need some assistance with this and will have my wife assist me. I know that the first week of March for the completion of this was acceptable to you and we can complete this on Saturday March 5.  Lets put our differences aside and gets this completed.   Tom 

Email 2

After the first voicemail, I thought you understood my position.  After the second voicemail, it is apparent that you don't.  If you don't understand why you are apologizing, then you aren't really apologizing because you don't know what you are apologizing for.

"Observative" is not even a word….Maybe the one you were looking for was "Observant." 

I looked in on the work you were doing on Tuesday.  Again, I said,"  THE POWDER ROOM VANITY STAYED IN THE NON-UTILIZED FORMAL LIVING ROOM and had NO MARKS on it prior to YOU moving it from its location."  The cats have been banished to the basement since October 2010 and they spent 10 years destroying the woodwork that I paid NICK to fix (Hence; the word FIX so I can SELL the house).  Just because my home was in poor condition, which was the reason for the renovations in the first place, does not justify it being ok that something brand new is damaged in the installation process.  Besides, it is not like your precious money paid for the vanity.  The vanity never moved from the location where I built it.  It was clean and ready to install.  I noticed the knick and asked about it.  You claim that you don't take fits, but you do.  You were the first one to have your little fit.  Tom:  "You think I did that?"  Me:  "Yes."  You yelled, "Bullshit!" and slammed my front door on the way out of the house.  At that point, there was only the knick near the knob on the vanity door….There was nothing on my vanity drawer that you had setting on the floor.  After you came back and finished putting everything together and I looked at it afterward, there was that pvc primer all over the drawer and, later, I noticed that you dropped some of that pvc primer underneath where the pipes are that ate through the finish to the plywood of the bottom of the vanity underneath the pipe where I put some primer hoping to mask it out.  I was angry, not because of the ding, but because you called me a liar, are completely clueless about the entire situation even though you were there, and because you don't know how to accept responsibility for anything as you still refuse to fathom that you had anything to do with the knick, the pvc primer all over the drawer, and the pvc primer that ate through the finish.  Did I install the vanity?  No?  Well, then who else was there installing it on Tuesday?  Tom Fritcher was.  I also watched you whack a tool (wrench with blue/green grips) off of vanity while you were doing the plumbing.  Maybe a tool did it and you were like oh I hope she doesn't notice because I will deny it if she does?  Maybe you weren't paying attention to what was UNDER the pipes you were painting with that PVC primer…..By the way, Tom, there wasn't a mark on the inside of that 1st Master Bedroom vanity basin, but you were putting your tools in the new sink basin with no protection.  I had tested it with the 14-in-1 tool that you left in there….I just touched the sink with edge of that thing and it left a new mark…..I didn't bother bringing it up because there were also manufacturers defects and I was going to let you think its primary cause was due to the manufacturer's defects-It is obvious now that you would've never owned up to anything you did anyway.  Quite frankly, Tuesday is the most carless I've seen you.  On second thought, I had to paint the back of my medicine cabinet because the marks you made in looked off with color paint you used to cover it.  

You think I have it out for you?  A little paranoid…..Schizophrenic, maybe?  I don't have it out for anyone, which is why I communicated my feelings.  I was trying to even be helpful so that maybe my situation could be resolved and you could learn from this experience as not to be a repeated problem in the future.  All I mentioned was that I felt overcharged for the POWDER ROOM….The Powder Room AND the Main Bathroom cost me almost the same amount of money….It was a comment.  If you feel the need to be on the defensive, then maybe you have something to be guilty about.

Ugh!  There is no point even trying to help you understand because I am fairly certain this is beyond your capacity.  I explained it once already and you are still confused.

WHAT PART OF YOU LETTING ME KNOW ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE USING NICK DO YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT??????  NONE OF MY BUSINESS!  Another problem you have…..I know about all everyone's business from YOUR mouth!  So, since you can't seem to recount facts correctly, I wonder exactly how many Tall Tales you've told about me to other customers and to your wife.  

Nothing was said to change my attitude, it was all done by your words and actions Tom, yours alone (In case you are still confused, reread the old email with a dictionary)…..Your wife is surprised about my 360……My 360 came about because this is the third time that I found myself in a situation where Tom was taking some kind of a temper tantrum and that I refuse to be a doormat and tolerate that type of behavior.  Especially, now that it is necessary to start to have photo evidence because everyone but Tom is a liar.

All the second voicemail really seemed to be all about was Tom proclaiming his innocence and victimization.  Please…..spare me. Just so you know, a shyster would be someone who takes money and let's the work sit there unfinished.  Tom that is kind of what you've done.  

The injustice that you have done to me is the way you have taken to talking to me, the way you have made this project drag on.  Your actions have even halted the progress of the project at times (waiting for materials and for you to get the plumbing done, etc.).  Your delays have cost us dearly and now we have to wait longer because you can't work in the same house with the guy you contracted to do work?!?!?!?  Grow up, Tom.  Well, now I am going to have to get estimates for the work you haven't even done as well as part of the work you should've done but haven't done because we can't afford to wait for this childish event to be over.  As of now, I know now that all electrical hasn't even been touched and you have accepted $2300 for electric ($1800 For Original Contract + $500 For GFCI's)….I will be in touch about the rest of the cost.  

Shortly after you started the large project, I found the information below on the internet on you and was put slightly on guard, but was hoping I didn't make a mistake choosing you for the job.  Based on how everything has gone, I am left to wonder what the details of your Police record could possibly be.  

Does anyone recall when I think it was 6th or 7th grade that a bunch of city kids came over and threw a wrench in everything ? I recall - Tom Fritcher, Some kid who's last name was "Gay", someone else named Chuck .... Man they created more distractions ..... I think there all dead now .... I saw Tommy Fritcher about 5 years ago, I think it was coming out of a restaurant at the casino, He was missing a few fingers, I think he said accident at some stamping plant, He was always the worse because he was so STUPID, I know - he lived on my street .... 

Fritcher always wanted to fight to prove he could kick everyone's a*s. I ran into Thomas Fritcher about 9 or 10 yrs ago. He had become a born again Christian, at Believers Chapel. Four months later I read about him in the Police Blotter...

You don't listen to anything I say.....You misconstrue what I say.....You even make up stories about what I say.....I figured it would be better to document it so that things are not misunderstood and my feelings are clearly represented.  I wonder if that offer of a couple hundred bucks (before asking me for $500 check I should have never written you before more work was done) you made on Friday was a gesture for putting up with your brash behavior.  Here is the real deal.....If I had to give you a review right now on your Yellowpages Ad, this is what your words and actions have communicated to me and this is after Nick was trying to put you back on a pedestal with me, sticking up for you even though you do nothing but bad mouth him to me.  I did not post it yet because I am still giving you a chance to right this wrong because I am insane, going along and expecting different results.....

A no heat call brought us to give Fritcher's a try in October 2010.  Tom Fritcher came out and promptly responded to the no heat call, giving us heat that night and recommending a new furnace.  We took his recommendation and we had a new furnace installed within one to two days.  

Tom noticed the poor condition of our hot water heater duct work, a problem that we knew we had as well as a gas leak that needed capped.  We asked him to fix these problems.

The next job we had Tom do was replace the plumbing under the kitchen sink, install new kitchen faucet and sprayer, and install a garbage disposal.  

At this point, we had been satisfied with the work he had done for us.  

Keep in mind, we have had bad experiences in the past with everyone we have called in our house to do work.  

We had decided to take a chance and go with Tom for a larger home improvement project that was supposed to be started in November 2010 and completed by the end of December 2010….

It took about a month to get most of the Master Bathroom finished, where I assisted with the install of my medicine cabinet and touched up the areas that got scuffed on the wall due to installation of the medicine cabinet and the light fixtures.  By the time the Master Bathroom got mostly done, it was the end of December 2010 due to Tom's schedule and, at the time, my schedule; however, he was given a key to the house in order to help reduce time conflicts, but the key was never really needed because he never came the days he said he was.  The odds and ends lingered through until almost March 2011, with Tom's response to the unfinished work being: "Ohhh, don't you worry.  Mechanicals take no time."  During this time, he made my shower basin look like new and did nice things like help me with some shoveling so that he could get his van in the driveway and brought up our garbage cans a few times.

Before the weather turned bad, I wanted him to get the exterior sump pump pipes adhered together before the snow set in because they were gushing water and it was pooling against the house.  He promised to stop by and get that done for me.  All through winter, there was nothing but a lake of icy water pooling next to the house because he never did that.  I hope the ice build up hasn't affected the air conditioner piping it was pooled and frozen around.  That will probably never get done even though it was supposed to be done in the contracted work.

Near Christmas, Tom asked for more money so that he could buy special things for his daughter-regardless of the amount of work that was actually completed or expected to be completed - a check was issued to him.  He asked for his checks to be written out in $1,000/$1,500 increments so that they were cashed more conveniently -  we did it $13 in checks later; however, he did give us a discount off the bill for the convenience.  "Because you are such good customers, any mechanical you buy, I will install it," says Tom.  "If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," says Tom.  So, we trudged on in this process trusting him to stay true to his word and to live up to his honesty and integrity that he boasts about.  

Meanwhile, the cost of the work had doubled by January, with a majority of the add-ons being added on as his recommendation and as necessary for him to do the job properly or the job to be properly done.  He basically had spent most of his time coming into our house, collecting a check, and leaving.  By the second week in January, he had the entire amount of money for the job and the full amount of each added on job, except for the last $1,000 - keep in mind that less than 1/3 of the work was even completed at this point.  It is pretty unethical to ask for money that you haven't done the work for or aren't anywhere near doing the work for.  My mother was so irate that I willingly wrote him checks out for an amount more than half of the remaining amount of the contracted job, especially since the typical procedure for contracting work is 50% down and 50% upon completion ($11,924 + $11,924 = $23,848); however, I thought since we were going above and beyond that Tom would be going above and beyond as well.

This is about the time where Jeckle started turning into Hyde.  Tom started to become a frequent no call, no show and we didn't know what to expect.  He also revealed his true colors by being initially rude and berating towards me on a several occasions that were completely unwarranted as they were only initially met with inquiry.  

The main bathroom stayed an empty shell for about 3 to 4 weeks before anyone started doing anything with it - we were often chained to the house wondering when Tom was going to show up or call….Nothing.  He brought another guy on who was supposed to be helping him.  I had to spend my time babysitting this guy, who no longer works with him, in order to ensure that he wasn't going to further demolish the house (dents in the walls, demolishing shelves that were hitting the cat's cages with the cats in them, putting cold air vent returns on upside down, and almost putting the screws down the vent, not capping plumbing with our waste depositing on our hardwood floors and leaking to the basement…Tom was even standing there when the leak happened and never noticed and expected me to find the cap to cap the open pipe before he came over to do it.  I thought that was what he was for?).  While this guy probably deserved to be told about his poor performance, it should not have been done yelling at him in a customer's house in front of the customer.  Things finally started moving along when he subcontracted out all the work I was under the impression that he would be doing or be remotely involved in to competent and a time consciousness, quality individual.  

The first toddler-sized temper tantrum I experienced with Tom was when he came back with this nice flooring that I realized wouldn't go with the granite-like vanity top I got.  I told Tom the next day when he promised to be there that day that instead of having the floor redone, we could just exchange the vanity top.  This is something I did to make it convenient on everyone - even-though this wasn't my first choice.  He copped such an attitude with me about that because this was supposedly going to cut into his time(Wow, really?!?!?!  Maybe I should've made him take the floor up?).  Keep in mind, he was the one who was with me when I picked out the granite-like vanity top.  I went and exchanged it myself.  Work came to a halt in the main bathroom because they had to wait for Tom to come in and do the plumbing - again, another excuse was given to me why these mechanicals aren't completed.  Well, I willingly helped Tom properly align my bathtub drain.  It was mid-February 2011 before most of the bathroom was put together.  He called it fully operational….Not without an exhaust fan, it isn't.  The moisture will build up on the brand new walls…There is nothing to hang towels on….toilet paper…..no mirror….a light hanging with exposed wires…..etc.

So, basically, after about the first month of semi-regular work, I barely, if ever, see or hear from Tom because he thinks that if he has a subcontractor from mid January 2011 here that he doesn't have to tell the customer what is going on.  The job is about half done and he asks for another $500 to make the job go along with only $500 remaining on the balance - and like an idiot, I gave it to him.  My mother was so mad when she found out because he shouldn't have gotten the rest of it until the work was done.  Then, he tells me in the same breath, after I advance him $500 he didn't deserve yet at that point, that only two lights were contracted.  Now mind you, the lights and ONLY the lights did multiply (I didn't add any other mechanicals that weren't taken out in the demolition), but I figured out how to install all the interior lights - bringing the total back down to 6 exterior lights.  Additionally, I told Tom I would go get the floor for the Powder Room to be sure that it matched the granite-like vanity top, which was $60 and should've been included in the price because that is what his price figured in (that's worth at least two fixtures).  He pretty much told me that if we didn't give him money for work and if we asked how much it would cost materials and labor, he wouldn't have done the work as he told me nobody itemizes anything-you go into home remodeling blindly I suppose and pay whatever the contractor decides he wants without the work getting done.  So, honesty and integrity has flown out the window right there.  Besides, how is it he is griping about having enough money to finish the job; yet, he has enough to blow at the Casino (which is probably where that $500 dollars went this weekend)?  

Another drama-filled event has to do with contracting for carpentry-related stuff that Tom told me to deal directly with his carpenter for; yet, he flips out AT ME because HE forgets about the work we had already told him about it that was being done-It was being made directly in front of him.  I'm confused as where it was my responsibility to tell his carpenter that he wasn't going to use him - so not my business (I have the message to prove it)!  He whines about overhead and time; yet, he allowed my job to sit there for a month untouched.  At the same time, he berates me and accuses me of putting him behind schedule!  Well, if he showed up to do work regularly, we would've been done a month ago.  He never wanted me to hear what his carpenter was charging him to do work, so I am fairly certain that he was doubling the price that was being charged even though he did not have a hand in barely any of the work past the Master Bathroom, the plumbing, and some of the demolition because he would pay him - or not.  That is probably why all the drama, he wanted to make more money off of him without doing work.  The carpenter is not a regular employee, but Tom treats everyone who subcontracts with him as he owns their soul outside of the subcontracted work…..  (Actually, come to think of it, Tom told me that he is the boss - not the customer…..the customer doesn't know anything and should have no say or input.)  The same guys he talks up, if he thinks he is getting shafted (When he is not) from him he is quick to try to present them as not as good as him "They are just handymen, they don't have insurance, this is not their day job, yada yada).  That really isn't good business practice to bad mouth the guys you subcontract on your jobs.  If it wasn't for his carpenter talking Tom up, I would not have held out faith this long-The carpenter is the one who put together things quickly and restored my faith.  I am pretty sure I was double charged for the powder room.  The work in the Main Bathroom was extensive (new ceiling, new insulation, new walls, new floors, new tub).  The powder room needed some shelves taken out, a sub floor installed like the other bathrooms, and half the walls with sheet rock.  That was only $1,000 less than the full remodel in the Main Bathroom and that had a tub installed.  

An additional drama-filled event with Tom, this is the one that was most recent and occurred on February 22,2011….This hit my last nerve with regard to the way he treats people (A little PR would be a good thing) and has made me re-evaluate the entire situation with a new pair of shades.  A little back story, I purchased bathroom vanities and assembled them on the floors of the respective bathrooms, with the powder room vanity being assembled in the formal living room.  Before Tom installed my vanities, I have cleaned them prior to him showing up to install them as I did this morning.  I have been doing nothing but shifting during this home remodel and was working to re-shift things as requested by Tom to get the vanity through the hall from the formal living room around the corner to the powder room.  A ladder was propped up in the formal living room doorway and I still had one box left to shift toward the kitchen.  The box I was shifting had very hard corners with staples in them that were level to the vanity door knob when Tom had told me he had already moved the vanity into the bathroom.  I didn't think anything of it at first until I noticed a ding near the handle.  All I did was ask Tom how that got there and he responded, "I don't know."  I told him, "It wasn't there this morning."  Tom said, "Are you saying I did that?"  I said, "Yes."  He said, "How could have I done that with the knob there?"  I said, "I don't know maybe something at that level."  He immediately flipped out and said, "Bull s**t" and slammed my front door on the way out and disappeared in a toddler-temper tantrum.  No, we didn't try to figure out why it happened or what we could do to fix it, but Tom instantly resorted to name-calling and desertion.  No, it's not Tom's responsibility even though he was the only one that got the vanity from the living room to the powder room unless it walked in there on its own.  I am not sure Tom lives in the rest of the world outside his own.  So, this gets better…..I am already irate because he essentially called me a liar and stormed out of my house (just because he lies to me on a regular basis does not mean i lie to him).  Tom gets finished installing the vanity, vanity top, faucet, toilet closet, and toilet and he is outside smoking talking to the carpenter he likes to praise and berate in one breath to his customers….Well, I go in to look at the work and what do I find?  FUME SMELLING PINK/PURPLE crap on one of the vanity drawers. That wasn't there when I discovered the knick near the knob on the vanity door, but it was after everything was all said and done…I had wondered if Tom was putting that smelly PVC goop in those cans on the pipes over the drawer he set on the floor and didn't realize it….I was panicked because I couldn't get it off and went out to ask him what that was and he said, "I don't know.  I didn't do it."  Wow, that wasn't on the drawer when I noticed the knick near the vanity cabinet knob.  Then, I get this from Tom "I don't know what has gotten into you.  This behavior is……. (I stopped listening from this point, especially because he NEVER listens to a word I say not one)"  I responded, "I am done, I am done."  and had my toddler temper tantrum and slammed my front door because with everything I have put up with him I deserved one out of the three or more he has had.  He calls me a few minutes later after leaving while I am trying to get this crap off of the drawer and leaves some message I only listened to a few seconds of because it had not one fact it in it.  I called him back and he proceeded to ask me questions, wouldn't let me talk and started yelling at me.  I told him he can call me back when he is ready to listen.  I haven't heard from him.  Should I tell him that the neighbor wanted to know the name of the guy who was behaving this way when I had mentioned the situation-This neighbor would have this spread through all of Radisson so fast and it would affect who calls him here?  I don't know why I am still even trying to be nice to someone like Tom who does not seem to be realizing what kind of crap he is putting me through.  I even gave him additional references and support twice even though he treats me, the customer, like crap.  I don't know why I am willing to let him finish the work (It is because Nick persuaded me to) so that I don't have to post this really negative review on his 4 1/2 star Yellowpage business, with a link to a more extensive blog about this experience.  Something really has to change or he is going to tank his own business if he is not lucky enough to run into someone like me who would feel bad leaving this as a comprehensive review.  Ironically, he just got done telling me the previous day that this type of behavior is unprofessional and has cost him customers and I made it known how I did not appreciate it; yet, he did it to me AGAIN (Probably because he wasn't listening to me AT ALL When  I was talking)!  UGH!   So at this point, I would recommend a lot of before and after pictures, video and audio surveillance so that he can see and hear for himself in order process information more accurately….Even then, he would probably still claim innocence even if there was proof….Kind of like Pinnochio denying the nose off of his face….

He quoted me an electrical price and, later, he told me to buy the GFCIs…..So, Tom sticks to his prices with some people….Maybe.  I offered it as well because he kept complaining he is making nothing on this expensive stagnant job.  I am pretty sure it is the people that are being subcontracted who are getting the short stick and stuck with all the work.

He kind of stopped writing some of the work down and it is my fault that I should've insisted everything was written down and not just cut him checks because I thought he was going to come through because I thought he was honest, stand-up guy.

We are on a limited budget due to my father's recent death to fix up the house and hope to sell it.  The longer we waited, the less time we had to get our home exposed on the market and the more financial trouble we will be facing - We invested six to seven months of living expenses into JUST this job.  I feel like he took advantage of two grieving females and milked us for money in our savings well before completing the work that money was being asked for and his rude and berating actions to the customer (he validates treating customers this way-it is ok in his eyes)….The code for "Good Customers" in Tom's eyes must be translated to "Shmucks."  He kept telling us…."Oh, I am doing such good things for you…..You better remember me when you sell the house."  So that means that everything Tom does, he expects something in return even if he calls it a "favor."  Last time I checked favors shouldn't expect returns, even though I try to be sure I do return the favor.  And I have returned them in abundance (overlooking the extra costs, the delays, the behavior, cleaning up behind him - coffee cups, screws, pieces of wire and pipe, damages he denies having to do anything with).  I have even given him extra money here or there.  

He always talked about the work he did for the Sansones, which is who I should have talked to before entering into this large project.  Did the same drama arise during the project?  Do they still use Fritcher's?  I would ask how to contact them.

Tom is always right, even if he isn't.  In fact, he has taken to fabricating his own ideas of what is going on.  He has an excuse and validation for everything even if validation isn't warranted.  It is always someone else's fault, not his.  He says the same things that you will have memorized at the end of a long project-a recorded message.  He has extremely selective hearing and does not really listen to his customers,  I highly recommend putting everything in writing and taking before and after pictures during the WHOLE process.  I highly recommend one project at a time as you might have a better chance of getting it completely done within a certain time frame and it may be less likely to encounter the berating.  Make sure to pay Tom a percentage of the other contractors you have come in so you don't make him mad and he doesn't feel like he is missing out on money because, in the end, that is all that matters (i.e. home depot, comfort windows, lowes, etc.), his cut….To him, it unethical to have any contractor do anything without his knowledge and cut….It is not unethical to ask for all the money for a job that is barely 1/3 done.  Be prepared to write Tom checks because that is what he does…Shows up….Looks around…..Says work needs done…..He takes the check and leaves…..No work is getting done - at least that is after he is bored with the job after a month of putting about 3 weeks work into it.

The sad part, this wasn't my first impression......It's one thing to sell yourself on a job, but it says a lot about you if you can keep the job.....

No hidden fees?  I'm not so sure about that….If you refuse to disclose anything and differentiate between cost of materials and labor, I am pretty sure I consider that hidden.

We will beat ANY one's price by 5%….That only means larger companies, not the handyman next door.  Straight from the horse's mouth, he firmly stated that he will not offer or accept handyman pricing.