{"id":1552,"date":"2024-09-18T21:20:03","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T21:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spicythat.store\/?p=1552"},"modified":"2024-09-18T21:20:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T21:20:03","slug":"my-contractor-left-the-job-half-done-i-showed-him-why-you-dont-mess-with-a-single-mom-of-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spicythat.store\/?p=1552","title":{"rendered":"My Contractor Left the Job Half-Done \u2013 I Showed Him Why You Don\u2019t Mess with a Single Mom of 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eliza, a single mom of three, trusted a contractor to remodel her kitchen, but he vanished mid-job, leaving her with an unusable kitchen.<\/p>\n

Little did he know, Eliza had a clever plan up her sleeve to make him regret ever crossing her.<\/p>\n

I always wondered why people said being a single mom was difficult because my friends and family members always supported me whenever I needed help.<\/p>\n

I learned the real reason when fate put me in a situation that left me fuming with anger.<\/p>\n

Before I get into what happened that day, let me tell you a bit about myself.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Eliza, a single mom of three.<\/p>\n

My ex-husband cheated on me with his old school friend.<\/p>\n

He gave me all the usual excuses: \u201cI won\u2019t do it again,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s not what you think,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I gave him a few chances, but he just couldn\u2019t change.<\/p>\n

The last straw was when I caught him in our bedroom with her while he was supposed to be watching our kids.<\/p>\n

It was such a dumb move on his part.<\/p>\n

Long story short, I kicked him out and filed for divorce. That lousy man didn\u2019t even bother fighting for custody. I guess he knew I\u2019d win because my case was rock solid.I\u2019ve been living alone with my kids, Chelsea (10), Trevor (8), and Kayla (6), for about two years now. My world revolves around them, and my days are a juggling act of work, chores, and parenting.<\/p>\n

At first, living without a man in the house felt weird since I\u2019d always relied on my husband for the heavy lifting. Although I was working and contributing to the household financially, I wasn\u2019t the one fixing leaky pipes or rewiring switches. That was his job.So, I often lean on friends and family for help. My brother Adam usually drops by to handle those things.<\/p>\n

But this time, I had no choice but to hire a contractor. And that\u2019s when I learned how some people treat single mothers when they realize there\u2019s no man in the house. I know it sounds horrible, but it\u2019s a harsh reality that hit me hard.So, it all began a few months ago when the kitchen drain had a blockage.<\/p>\n

I was doing the dishes when I realized the water had started accumulating in the sink. Mind you, I\u2019m very careful while doing the dishes. I always ensure no food particle goes down because I know they always clump up and cause blockages. Anyway, I quickly tried a few hacks, including pouring a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, but nothing worked. Ultimately, I had to wash the dishes in the bathroom. Imagine!Later that night, I called my brother. \u201cAdam, I think you\u2019ll need to come over because there\u2019s a problem with the kitchen drain,\u201d I began. \u201cThere\u2019s a big blockage and I can\u2019t seem to solve the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dDon\u2019t worry, Liz,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll be there tomorrow.\u201d However, when Adam came over, he realized there wasn\u2019t much he could do to solve the issue. \u201cSeems like a serious issue,\u201d he said, scratching his head. \u201cI guess you\u2019ll have to look for a professional.\u201dSo, I talked to my friends about hiring a contractor, and one of them recommended this guy, Mark. She said he was \u201cone of the best\u201d in town. I wish I hadn\u2019t listened. A few days later, Mark finally showed up because, apparently, he was swamped with work.<\/p>\n

He was in his thirties, seemed friendly, and gave off that \u201ctrust me, I\u2019m a professional\u201d vibe.\u201dCan you tell me what the exact problem is?\u201d I asked as he examined the drainpipe.\u201dA blocked drain and seepage,\u201d he told me. \u201cYou should consider remodeling your kitchen. It\u2019ll save you from more headaches down the road.\u201d Remodeling? I thought. That sounds like a whole lot of work.<\/p>\n

Then, Mark explained why I needed to get it remodeled, and he even quoted a very reasonable price. He also promised to get it done in about six weeks, which seemed pretty quick.Talking to him made me realize the guy was a real pro and knew his stuff. I told him I\u2019d give him my answer the next day. That evening, I called Adam to tell him about Mark.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s right,\u201d Adam said. \u201cYou should go for the remodel. The price sounds good too.\u201d \u201cYeah,\u201d I agreed. \u201cI\u2019ll call him tomorrow to start the work.\u201d \u201cSounds great,\u201d he replied. \u201cDo you want me to be there?\u201d\u201dThanks, Adam, but I\u2019ll manage,\u201d I said. \u201cThe guy seems solid and doesn\u2019t look like a troublemaker.\u201d Adam had always been there for me, and I didn\u2019t want to keep relying on him. He had his own life, and I figured it was time for me to take charge.Little did I know that this would be the worst decision of my life. I should\u2019ve involved Adam.Mark started on the kitchen two days later.<\/p>\n

While he worked, my kids Trevor and Kayla would wander in to see what was happening. I thought Mark would be annoyed, but he was surprisingly kind to them. I was relieved to see that. Everything went well for two weeks until the day Mark didn\u2019t show up. I thought he must\u2019ve fallen sick or something, so I let it slide and waited for him to come the next day.aHe didn\u2019t show up again. This went on for three days and then I decided to call him. \u201cMark, where are you?\u201d I asked. \u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for you for three days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Eliza,\u201d he said casually. \u201cI\u2019m working on another job. I\u2019ll swing by later.\u201d Excuse me? I thought. Another job? What about the hanging cabinets in my kitchen? Who\u2019s gonna fix them? I was angry, but I decided to be polite and asked him to return soon. BIG MISTAKE.Another week passed and he still didn\u2019t show up. I called, but he didn\u2019t answer. I even left voicemails.\u201dHey, I get that you\u2019re busy, but I need some kind of timeline here,\u201d I said. No response.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when I lost my cool because I knew exactly what was happening here. He thought he could take advantage because I\u2019m a single mother. No husband to chase him down. He figured he\u2019d disappear, and I\u2019d just let it go.But I\u2019m not that kind of woman. I\u2019ve been through too much to let anyone play me. So, I got creative, and Mark wasn\u2019t ready for what came next. I took a few pictures of the half-done kitchen with a few cabinets hanging at odd angles, exposed wires, broken pipes, and everything else that made my kitchen look ugly.<\/p>\n

Then, I posted those photos in a couple of local home improvement groups on Facebook.I didn\u2019t post anything offensive. I just wrote: I hired this contractor named Mark on a friend\u2019s recommendation. He\u2019s great at his work and was almost done remodeling my kitchen when he suddenly vanished.<\/p>\n

Has anyone else experienced such delays? I let the photos do the talking. I knew exactly what I was doing.It didn\u2019t take long before the comments started rolling in. I know him. He was supposed to fix my bathroom and never showed up again!! OMG! I\u2019m sure this is the same Mark I\u2019ve been calling for two months because he left my place half-done. So glad I found a better contractor. Mark comes up with the best excuses.<\/p>\n

He vanished with my initial deposit, and I\u2019ve been chasing him for a month now. I\u2019m so sorry your kitchen looks like this. And the list went on.It seemed like the whole town was fed up with him, just waiting for an opportunity to vent. Even Adam was shocked when I told him. He regretted not being there with me.Anyway, as the post gained more traction, I was certain it\u2019d reach him, and it did. I got a call from Mark two days after I posted the photos.\u201dHey, I\u2019ve been hearing some things online\u2026<\/p>\n

People are saying I\u2019m not finishing jobs. That\u2019s not true, right?\u201d he asked, practically pleading. His shaky voice told me he was panicking. I\u2019d clearly hit a nerve by exposing him. \u201cWell, Mark, I can\u2019t control what people say,\u201d I said calmly. \u201cMaybe you should focus on finishing the work you started.\u201d I didn\u2019t yell at him or accuse him. I just wanted him to know that he was in this situation because of himself.A few hours later, I got a message from him. I\u2019ll be over tomorrow with the crew, and we\u2019ll finish everything.<\/p>\n

Please just help me get those reviews taken down. He was practically begging me now and I believed he must have figured out I wasn\u2019t some single mother he could ignore. The following day, Mark arrived at my place with his team. They worked faster than I\u2019d ever seen, scrambling to get everything done.It was almost comical how desperately he worked to finish, as if I\u2019d take the post down the moment he was done. Once the job was done, I thanked Mark, and he left with his crew.<\/p>\n

Then, he texted me asking if I could remove my post and leave a good review instead. I\u2019ll think about it, I told him. But in reality, I wasn\u2019t going to take the post down or write a new one.I wanted him to realize he couldn\u2019t just get away after betraying so many people. He thought I was one of those people who didn\u2019t raise their voices, especially because I was a single mother. But I guess he messed with the wrong person.Now, I think I made the right choice by handling it myself. If Adam had been around, Mark wouldn\u2019t have dared to mess with me, and his actions wouldn\u2019t have been exposed online. Everything happens for a reason, and I finally understand why.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n