re: #469 Eclectic Cyborg

Friend of mine was an electrical contractor for around 20 years. Finally quit when he got fed up with people constantly trying to get out of paying him (or outright refusing to) despite the written contracts they had signed and agreed to. Of course he could (and did in some cases) go after them in court but spending money and time on lawyers and court dates means less time available to actually do his job.

Now he has a salaried position and, while he misses some of the freedoms of his contractor job, he appreciates being paid promptly every two weeks.

OK, here’s my contractor not paying story of the day.

Some company’s hold a 10% retention for a month after you complete the job & bill them.

I’m calling this company in Portland, where’s my 10% retention? Total scam: oh, we faxed the final paperwork to you. (FAX? WTF. Also the fax # she listed isn’t even ours- we have some web fax that I never even see) Oh OK, I’ll email it to you. But you must return the signed release IN BLUE INK & BY SNAIL MAIL.

I don’t even have a business envelope, so I put it in one of my thank-you card’s small envelopes with a fucking Janis Joplin stamp.

They do this just to delay payment. And they suck.