Unfinished Building Leaves Texas Family Angry

When you spend thousands of dollars, you expect to get what you paid for. An Atlanta, TX. man, however, says that did not happen for him. Now, he`s asking the KTAL Troubleshooters for help. " I never thought it would happen to me and it`s embarrasing," Robert Ramsey said. Ramsey hired New Boston Texas contractor Jeff Green in September 2006 to build a metal storage building. Months later, however, the shed sits unfinished. Green gave Ramsey an estimate of about $6,000 and asked for $2500 up front for the concrete. But, according to Ramsey, his requests did not stop there. "He asked for another $800 up front to purchase materials, then, another 3 days later he asked for $800 more," Ramsey said. Green says because he is a small contractor, he asked for part of the money up front to make necessary purchases and pay laborers. Ramsey says he had no problem paying up front until construction ran weeks behind schedule. He claims Green only worked a few hours and day and never came on a regular basis. Ramsey also says the work Green did complete was not done properly. "I`ve got a building that is probably going to leak," Ramsey said. Green says he was working on a number of other projects at the time he was working on Ramsey`s metal building and waiting on materials. He says he has done nothing wrong and unless Ramsey pays up, he won`t be able to finish the project. Both parties are considering hiring attorneys and this dispute could be settled in court. But for consumers,there is a lesson to be learned here. Before you hire a contractor, do your homework. Contact the Better Business Bureau and ask for references. Most importantly, be sure to sign a detailed contract and update it as changes are made.