Unlicensed work!

[graybellplumb]

NOTE FROM ADMIN, added 12/3 : The following was copied from a Craigslist ad. This did not happen to graybellplumb.

TRUE STORY AND MY NIGHTMARE. (Bee Ridge)

I hired two guys to do some remodeling. They told me they were licensed and advertised licensed and insured here on Craigslist. I asked if they needed a permit, I was told no. I said you do have insurance right? They said of course. Seemed like nice guys. So they started working and did a pretty good job until the one guy fell off the ladder and broke his hip. We had to call 911 and an ambulance came and took him to the ER. He stayed in the hospital for a few days and had surgery to place pins in his leg and hip and all that stuff. Then the other guy came back to my house a couple of days later and started working again. A guy in a white pickup truck and Sarasota County insignia on it, came and said he is investigating unlicensed and un-permitted work, he gives me a stop work order and a hefty fine. Now he says I have to uncover what these guys did and pay another contractor to pull a permit and pay triple the permit fees and get a draftsman to draw the plans. The guy in the hospital gets a Thirty Five Grand bill for being in the hospital and now they want ME to pay it. WTF? THESE GUYS HAD NO LICENSE AND NO INSURANCE. NOW I AM F*CKED! All because I was lied to. WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF. I went to a lawyer and gave him a grand for him to blah blah blah me to death with his assurances that we can take care of this, YEAH RIGHT, and now he wants another two grand to start to deal with this crap. Apparently everyone wants to get money out of me and I am left will this f*#@ing mess. Thanks you unlicensed and uninsured douche bags. By the way, they have been charged with three FELONY counts each. Not that it helps with the mess.

[P'duck]

Wow, best of luck and although your lawyer will save you getting the legal fees back will be an issue. Hope things work out for you.

[graybellplumb]

It wasn't me .It was and ad on craigslist.Just a warning about hiring unlicensed people. I am licensed and insured so people don't have to worry about me.

[DaveT]

The last several years....so scared of that very thing happening....I always ask to SEE the license and the insurance docs and to make sure that all the help is covered too...I find that the reputable guys already have it with them to show you.....Hope it all works out for you....

[Cr0ck1]

Your fault.

Im tired of guys telling customers "their licensed & insured". And the STUPID people just give them a check. They mess crap up, do shabby work and then the customer CANNOT sue them why??? Because they are not licensed and they SHOULDN'T OF EVEN HIRED THEM!!! Then if they get hurt THEY SUE THE CUSTOMER!!!

This is my life story, the broken record i hear all day long while my kids starve, people lose homes and boats cause some ignorant person don't do a license check!!!

Sorry you had to learn the hard way but YOU whom is a licensed plumber right? Should of known better.

Hope it all works out and you beat the crap out of those thieves and bust more unlicensed people. Bet you lose a ton of work to them! I lost 2 BIG jobs to unlicensed punks.


Sent from my killphone.

[graybellplumb]

This wasn't me I got this from a craigslist ad! Just to show what happens when you do hire unlicensed people. I am not that stupid. I am licensed and insured I should have wrote this different.

Your fault.

Im tired of guys telling customers "their licensed & insured". And the STUPID people just give them a check. They mess crap up, do shabby work and then the customer CANNOT sue them why??? Because they are not licensed and they SHOULDN'T OF EVEN HIRED THEM!!! Then if they get hurt THEY SUE THE CUSTOMER!!!

This is my life story, the broken record i hear all day long while my kids starve, people lose homes and boats cause some ignorant person don't do a license check!!!

Sorry you had to learn the hard way but YOU whom is a licensed plumber right? Should of known better.

Hope it all works out and you beat the crap out of those thieves and bust more unlicensed people. Bet you lose a ton of work to them! I lost 2 BIG jobs to unlicensed punks.


Sent from my killphone.

[Cr0ck1]

Ok! I was surprised when i read it! Sorry man!!


Sent from my killphone.

[graybellplumb]

I lose all kind of work to idiots who aren't licensed and am tempted to turn them in. I have threatened someone who tried to take work from me in front of my customer and my plumber

[DONY1]

I rat them out every time.

[Iluv2hunt]

In the pest control business, we are highly regulated by the FLDACS. There is a publication we get (and is viewable online) of people getting caught doing unlicensed pest control work, and other violations against license holders.
I'm sure there are other publications for other licenses that the public can view. I know a guy that got caught doing unlicensed a/c work and he actually got locked up

[X711]

yes, its sounds exactly like it happened to you.
a note that this is copied from craigslist would have been all that was needed.

[JBUG308]

Thanks for this post. I will be having a guy here shortly working on my house as well. I'll have to shake him down before they get started!

[DONY1]

To be fair to the contractors you should ask them for copies before they come to the house. Most companies that have employees aren't handing out copies to keep in every truck on the road. I know i don't. To check on a company go to sunbiz.org and see if they are registered and up to date. If you are really concerned you can have them list you as additional insured but that will probably cost you an additional $200-300. The problem comes in when you hire an UNLICENSED contractor.

[Cr0ck1]

I carry a copy to show customers and have a copy on my ipad.


Sent from my killphone.

[GoodOyster]

I added a note to the original post about this being from a Craigslist ad. Hope no one minds.