Bill this service call.

[ceknight]

......the last thing i want to hear is my voice explaining to the district attorney and the grand jury why i left a cable that is supposed to be 24" deep 2" deep in topsoil..... and the homeowners 8 year old was playing in a puddle....

I hear you, but the fact remains that you have to be hired to do the work.

Best you can do is have a long chat with the HO about mud puddles and 8 yr olds, document exactly what you did, what you recommended, and the HO's response, and move on.

(per the OP, it's too late for the other option: refuse to repair it at all unless it gets retrenched...)

 

[khixxx]

I would document everything, Maybe certified mail so you can prove the HO got the idea and keep this in your records.

 

[Greg Swartz]

I hear you, but the fact remains that you have to be hired to do the work.

Best you can do is have a long chat with the HO about mud puddles and 8 yr olds, document exactly what you did, what you recommended, and the HO's response, and move on.

(per the OP, it's too late for the other option: refuse to repair it at all unless it gets retrenched...)

You do need to be hired to do the work. But once again, if you touch it, the rest is all your fault... just as if you did the damage yourself.

I agree that you need to do everything OR nothing. Walking away from it is better than partially fixing it.

Here's my view: The HO wants his power back... the longer it's out, the more he wants it back... and if the HO is not willing to pay to have the re-trenching done, then DON'T DO THE JOB.

Honestly, I know that it is good to help someone out, but there is a HUGE liability in this. 2 posts above this show that point. The HO's kid gets electrocuted (and you saw the picture of the mud)... who are they going to come after? Not themselves, not the GC, but the guy who did the job.

So, either do everything OR nothing.