Extremely disappointing experience. I gave this person chance after chance because I genuinely sympathized with his situation, and I deeply regret it.
This started with a very small irrigation repair. I had already dug up the pipe and completely exposed the leak. All that was needed was replacing a short damaged section, which took only a few minutes.
Even for this first appointment, he was nearly an hour late and only showed up after I texted him multiple times. When he arrived, I discovered he spoke essentially zero English, so we communicated entirely through a translator on his phone.
That actually made me MORE sympathetic toward him. I am an immigrant myself. My parents and I came to this country with almost no money or possessions, no English, and no family or connections here. I understand how difficult starting over can be, so I wanted to give him a chance.
After fixing the irrigation pipe, HE approached me about doing additional yard work, saying he could do basically anything and needed the work. I showed him an overgrown corner with some trees, an old two-level retaining-wall garden, rocks and debris.
I wasn't even actively looking to have this project done. It was completely optional. But he told me things were difficult financially and he needed the job. He inspected the area himself and offered me a price I thought was attractive, so I agreed.
I did not haggle with him. HE proposed the job, and HE set the price and I simply agreed.
He originally said he wanted to do it Friday. Friday came and he said he didn't have the trailer needed to haul away the trees and rocks, so we rescheduled for Monday.
Monday came: no call, no text. More than an hour after he was supposed to arrive, I had to contact him AGAIN, then he said he had a flat tire, okay. Wed, no late another hour with no call.
At that point my wife told me we should cancel, and I actually told him maybe we should. Instead, he repeatedly messaged me explaining that he had family problems, really needed the job and needed the money.
That is why I gave him another chance.
He finally arrived, but AGAIN without the trailer. More excuses followed. They stayed for roughly half a day but probably did about two hours of actual work at most. His brother appeared to do almost all the work while he did very little. They spent a surprising amount of time talking and eating lunch instead of working.
They dismantled the retaining-wall garden and cut some vegetation, but didn't finish. Soil was spread unevenly across the area and over the large rocks that were supposed to be removed. Branches, roots, rocks, and debris were left everywhere. Instead of my original overgrown garden, I now had a partially demolished backyard.
Despite all this, I still gave him the benefit of the doubt. I even paid him $200 before the job was completed because I felt sorry for the financial situation he described and trusted that he would return and finish.
Then came the final day. He showed up in the morning, gave me another excuse, and left. Once again, he never had the courtesy to contact me afterward. I had to message HIM asking if he was coming back.
He actually replied one final time: "I'm coming."
He never came.
No explanation. No apology. Nothing.
Now I am left disposing of branches and roots, moving soil, dealing with rocks he was supposed to haul away, and repairing/finishing a project I wasn't even planning to do until HE convinced me to hire him.
The $200 isn't even what bothers me most. It's the dishonesty and feeling that my sympathy was taken advantage of.
If he had simply told me, "I underestimated this job and can't do it for the price I quoted," I would have respected the honesty and we could have discussed it. Instead, there was excuse after excuse and promise after promise.
And again, I NEVER negotiated his price down. He saw the job beforehand. He offered to do it. He set the price. When I wanted to cancel, he convinced me not to because he needed the work.
As an immigrant, this experience particularly disappoints me. There are already unfair stereotypes about Hispanic immigrant workers and contractors being unreliable or taking money and disappearing. I absolutely do NOT believe an entire community should be judged by individuals. There are countless hardworking and honest Hispanic immigrants building businesses through integrity and hard work. Unfortunately, behavior like this only reinforces those stereotypes and makes things harder for the honest people who are trying to overcome them.
When my family came here with almost nothing, I was raised to believe your work ethic, honesty and reputation are some of the most valuable things you have. Your word should be worth considerably more than $200.
I should have listened to my wife and canceled the job.
Based on my experience, you have to be crazy to hire him unless it's a super simple job, and do not let him leave until he finishes it! Here is a before after picture read more