Before Thanksgiving, James came out to give me an estimate, as I was hoping to get my windows cleaned before a houseful of holiday guests arrived. I have a house with vaulted ceilings and many deep overhangs, so he knew the issues and walked the house all around. He gave me a written quote, and I offered a bonus if he could get done by Thanksgiving. We shook hands on the deal (signed and sealed in my book). He was supposed to come Monday, and he notified me his helper was sick, and rescheduled for Tuesday, which was inconvenient. He showed up by himself, saying his worker called in sick again. He set about cleaning windows on the inside, which took awhile. He moved to the outside, and was there until dusk. He then said he would come back the next day (day before Thanksgiving) to finish up and address incomplete areas and areas he couldn't reach, which I had already pointed out. I also pointed out the scratch he put on my room barn door as he passed by with his squeegee handle. He told me why he was rattled and didn't have all his equipment- his employee had absconded with his company truck and equipment! What?! He gave a long speech about how this affected his reputation and his business livelihood. Then he appealed to my trusting and emotional side- he asked for 88% of the agreed fee to go buy a taller ladder, so he could come back the next day. I wrote a check. When I texted the next morning to make sure we were still on for noon, he replied that his truck was in Tulsa and he was going to retrieve it, and would need to reschedule for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.....yeah...
When I texted on the set Tuesday, he was unresponsive all day, but then he replied that evening that he would contact me shortly. He has not answered my texts or phone calls since. I am appalled at the lack of integrity, commitment and professionalism. DO NOT EMPLOY! read more