Should I pay a kitchen contractor/designer we are not using?

[pharmjenn]

Long story that I will try to keep short. We had a water leak a couple years ago and lost the lower half of our 2 year old kitchen (Cabinets, flooring) Our contractor that had built the kitchen stole our insurance money that we paid him to purchase new cabinets.

We have now started the search for a new contractor, and met with one found through Nextdoor. This lady is actually a school teacher and working with a contractor. She found a local dealer to order our cabinets using the original plans with a couple modifications. She then sent us her bid and we found out her friend is not a licensed contractor.
So we can not use them, for multiple reasons but primarily due to the legal issues we are dealing with due to stolen money.

She has not said anything, but I feel like she is owed something for the time she put in. The cabinet dealer had our original plans from the maker but she made some changes. The cost of the cabinets is more than $20k if that makes any difference.

I am not under any obligation to pay her, but should we give her something?

[gatorsmom]

Long story that I will try to keep short. We had a water leak a couple years ago and lost the lower half of our 2 year old kitchen (Cabinets, flooring) Our contractor that had built the kitchen stole our insurance money that we paid him to purchase new cabinets.

We have now started the search for a new contractor, and met with one found through Nextdoor. This lady is actually a school teacher and working with a contractor. She found a local dealer to order our cabinets using the original plans with a couple modifications. She then sent us her bid and we found out her friend is not a licensed contractor.
So we can not use them, for multiple reasons but primarily due to the legal issues we are dealing with due to stolen money.

She has not said anything, but I feel like she is owed something for the time she put in. The cabinet dealer had our original plans from the maker but she made some changes. The cost of the cabinets is more than $20k if that makes any difference.

I am not under any obligation to pay her, but should we give her something?

Hmm, well, shouldn’t she have checked to make sure her contractor friend was licensed? And if she is a school teacher, does she have any experience working with cabinetry? How much experience does she have working with cabinets? Does she have references? Which is her primary profession? There is a real science to measuring cabinets accurately, as we have personally found out. Not just anyone can do it properly. There are cabinet softwares out there that can make it seem simple but it definitely is not. I’d hate to see you pay her for something that was worth nothing.

I’m sorry you are dealing with this mess, with both the contractors. I can’t imagine the headache you must be dealing with.

[jgenie]

Failing to disclose her contractor was unlicensed at the start of work would keep me from paying her. She wasted your time as well as her own.

[twowhat?]

Failing to disclose her contractor was unlicensed at the start of work would keep me from paying her. She wasted your time as well as her own.

[gymnbomb]

Failing to disclose her contractor was unlicensed at the start of work would keep me from paying her. She wasted your time as well as her own.

Exactly what I was going to say!

[pharmjenn]

Failing to disclose her contractor was unlicensed at the start of work would keep me from paying her. She wasted your time as well as her own.

She never stated that they were licensed, and says she thought in her initial messages she had told us. Her friend lost his construction job early in the Pandemic and despite 11 years in construction is afraid to take the licensing exam due to his poor English.

She used our measurements and previous design from the cabinet builder company so didn't have to adjust any sizes herself, just change up some cabinets to fit a beverage fridge in the island. I think it may even have been the dealer that did that.

Thanks for everyone's input. We will move on and not worry about any time reimbursement.

[erosenst]

We had a somewhat similar situation recently. Ended up paying her $150 for two hours of her “extra” time arguably outside normal bid process. She was happy and I was happy to check “huh should we pay her” off my mental list.

The whole “licensed contractor” thing wouldn’t stop me. Many don’t care, and you didn’t specify/are unusually locked in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pharmjenn]

We had a somewhat similar situation recently. Ended up paying her $150 for two hours of her “extra” time arguably outside normal bid process. She was happy and I was happy to check “huh should we pay her” off my mental list.

The whole “licensed contractor” thing wouldn’t stop me. Many don’t care, and you didn’t specify/are unusually locked in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think yours was the post that made me think about whether she should be paid anything. I will check with my husband and see if she returned his email declining to further work with her.

[erosenst]

I think yours was the post that made me think about whether she should be paid anything. I will check with my husband and see if she returned his email declining to further work with her.

Haha makes total sense. Since you remember that - we actually got a handwritten thank you. The big thing for her was that we valued her time - which I get and is part of what led me to “I think there may have been some misunderstanding involved. I’d pay her a bit.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk