Then there's the practical aspect. Most every 'home improvement' article you find tells the homeowner that a 'reputable' contractor will NEVER ask for money up front. Even Mike Holmes says so. Who wants to tell the customer they're marginal?
i'm sorry, but i don't earn my living based on what a
reality show host says.
it's formula driven crap. he marches in, and tells the
pitiful homeowner how screwed up everyone before
him was, and how much damage they did.
and he's the hero, come to save the day. ok, fine.
irregardless of the accuracy of his assessments,
most of what's going on is drama infused hype.
what works for me, is a job by job assessment of
what is fair and appropriate.
i had a commercial account once, that screwed around
for a YEAR before finally giving the go ahead on $10k
worth of work. started off at $60k, finally they went with
$10k worth of the project.
after dealing with the person in charge for that length
of time, and seeing how he behaved, my terms were
100% deposit, materials ordered and work scheduled
after check has cleared my bank.
and that is how it went down. he squabbled about having
to pay up front, and i told him exactly why i was requiring
something that unusual.
he had the check cut and fedexed to me in two days.
some little fly by night organization? nope. the municipal
government of a city with a population of the top 15 in
the US. cities.
