Reckless and Crazy

NOTE: As of September 23, 2009, this post has been edited in
accordance with a court-mediated settlement. The names of the
contractor and his excavation subcontractor have been replaced with
pseudonyms.

Because he's incredibly stupid and also belligerent, Contractor A (who always looks drunk) came to our house this morning, and of course it turned nasty immediately. He'd brought several people with him, who seemed to think we were trying to withhold his tools from him (if I had to guess, I'd say he'd lied to them, as he was certainly given to doing so with us). One of them told us that we were low for keeping his tools, and we could only respond that we did not want Contractor A's tools, that we were in the process of handing them over, and we just don't want him on our property, because he's threatened the house several times.

Contractor A, in his usual angry, nasty manner, was not satisfied that we had collected his tools and equipment -- everything that was not actively defending the house. So instead of dealing with it through the lawyers, or even having the friends who came with him handle the matter peacefully, he trespassed. After we blocked him from walking up the driveway, he ran around under the house from the front and unplugged the sump system that is keeping the excavation drained. Because, you know, that was HIS extension cord and he needs it back right now or he cannot continue to operate his business as a contractor.

So we called the police.

The police basically slapped him on the wrist. But if he comes back, he can be arrested. The police officer suggested we get a restraining order.

Weirdly enough, Contractor A (who didn't bother to do proper dewatering on the site and was totally willing to do work without a permit or even final plans) was very concerned about one extension cord but not two others that were also being used in the pump system (and which will be returned to him as soon as the permanent wiring is in). And the steel stakes holding the shoring that he's so concerned about that he keeps bringing them up as if leaving them with us is such a grand favour on his part? We found some unused ones and put them in his stuff and he took them out and threw them on the lawn, saying we could give them back with the others, as if we ran a storage facility for his equipment.

Clearly, Contractor A (who had already told us he was drinking quite a lot) is not willing to be civil with us, and Contractor A Construction as a company is not going to deal with things through proper channels -- today's behaviour shows me they are willing to break the law and trespass in order to force their will on us rather than deal with us in an appropriate manner. I see a return to being live for this web site, real soon now. Because you know what? I don't see any reason why I should not put the truth up and let the world see what kind of a person Contractor A (the guy who came to the job site drunk) really is.

posted by ayse on 08/03/05