What's the discount for bad service?

[Susan Gillespie]

We had a big hail storm last year. As a result, I have an insurance claim for a new roof and siding on my home.

My contractor has been nothing but trouble. For example, the crew tore off siding before new materials arrived. There was a delivery delay, then the order fell through, then it took four weeks to get new siding. That was in November. I had scaffolding on my house for weeks, then snow arrived. The first crew quit, probably because they weren't getting paid, and it took a few more weeks for another crew to finish most of the job. I still have a punch list of repairs and some final work. The freezing weather has caused delays.

This whole process has been frustrating and a big waste of time. I had to keep calling the contractor to get status updates. He finally became responsive when I involved my attorney about the "abandoned project."

The good news is that I only paid a few thousand dollars to start the project. Most of the work is completed, but not fully inspected, and the punch list remains. Since this is Minnesota, the roof inspector won't be out until the snow melts.

The contractor wants some money because he's having cash flow issues. How he stays in business is beyond me, but I'm not paying until work is complete.

My question: what should I deduct for bad service?

What would you do?

[Wayne Brooks]

Depends on your contract, and what it says directly about delays and time schedules. Absent LD's specified in the contract, you'd probably have to show some actual financial loss. I doubt there is a bad service/unhappy deduct clause, unfortunately.