Master Bathroom

As I've written here this has been a nightmare.

I can't believe we were hoodwinked.

So, with egg on face, I will explain.

July 23rd of this year we signed the contract. To us, it was a 2-week job.

They said it may be 4. Either way, it's still not done and it's October 19th.

The minor things were -

**Wrong tile, not what we paid for or ordered but went with the cheap option to move the job forward.

**Wrong grout, we asked for epoxy and not sanded, we got sanded.

** The seat/bench was too high and had to have that changed.

**The grab bar is backward and that made it not ADA compliant. And most difficult to use

** We got a door, and it was 2 ft too short. Ordered a new door and it came in satin nickel, not chrome and ordered 3rd door which is in our garage.

** We were to call them when the 3rd door arrived. When I did, I was sent a text that said, STOP.  To cover my ass I wrote back, stop what? I wanted it in writing. He did not respond.

** 3 weeks later he sent a text from a different number as if I'd forget what he said to me and said, "I've been on vacation let's set something up for the new door installation.

** I told him we had a punch list as well as plumbing concerns. He said he'd address it when he came here.  He never came.

These are just some of the issues that the inspector called minor.

These things were not part of the State Inspector here today because he is the State Plumbing Inspector. No one covers routine shoddy work sadly.

We knew that the water we could hear in our bedroom/master bath when someone flushed the toilet in the hall was not correct. Rick assumed it was missing a P-trap. But not being a plumber, we knew we had to get one.

The cost of this estimate was $110. We got a list of things from the plumber that needed to be done to correct this. He also saw that a permit was never obtained. (we were told they took care of it)

We paid the plumber $1073.33 to repair all the issues. This included the $200 for the permit. He said he'd be back in one day after things dried to see if there were any more leaks. Oh, there was. But it wasn't from the pipes now, it's coming from the drain. Where the tile meets the drain and in the corner of the shower floor by the bench. He called his boss, and he came out to view it. Because this is not their work, that is the problem but the tile and the drain/tile they suggested I contact the state and county inspector about this shoddy work. I have a video

The plumber contacted the state and county inspector for me so it's in his name when the papers are served. Of course, they will know it's us because of the address but we preferred the plumber doing this (fear of a lien on our home) and he had no problem because he wants guys like this to leave our state. I don't blame him. He said he fixes this type of work every week. Rick joked that after this joker leaves the state he would lose business. 

He said, "That kind of business I don't mind losing"

Rick most certainly understood this, he was just joking as the plumber thankfully knew. 

We also have photos showing the slope is incorrect on the window seal, the small step to walk over, the seat, and the niche. Meaning water would get behind the walls and/or onto the floor not going towards the drain. Major headache and damage if that were to happen, which it most certainly would have.

The state inspector was here Wednesday.

He said it was one of the worst. Great. 

The plumber came with him. He gave his statement as the inspector typed. It was signed and notarized and a copy was given to me.

We then gave our statement, and it was typed and printed, signed, and notarized and a copy was given to me.

The next step is it goes up the command ladder and papers will be served to this dude. A judge will make the ruling. Sadly, we can't be there to see that because I don't see how we can lose, the inspector said as much.

Next, the county inspector will show up next week and we will go through similar. We are going to get him from all sides.

In the meantime, I went to American Express which was how I paid. It's funny because I didn't plan to use my credit card. The money was moved to my checking account, but he wouldn't take debit cards. I don't have checks. So, I decided to use Amex because that also covers my ass the best over my other cards.

I called Amex and said I had a dispute regarding fraudulent work.

They sent me to that department. I asked to speak to someone in America because I didn't want any misunderstandings. They were not happy, but it was either Manilla or America. I was a bitch and chose America. It always makes me feel bad, but I had to. I did not want any language barrier to stop this from moving forward. I've had that problem once before. 

I gave a statement to Amex. I asked if they needed photos, videos, inspector statements, etc. They said no.

She told me they would give him a week to respond. Then he will give his side of the story. Then they will make a judgment. Late Wednesday I was told he did not respond to the case, so they gave me a credit of all my money $18,544.03.  I called Amex and said what if he just hasn't noticed this in the 4/5 days does this reopen the case? She told me they could indeed do that. So, Rick and I will hold out for 30 days to be sure he doesn't. We find it hard to believe the credit card company taking $18k from them will go unnoticed for more than 30 days. But we think we will be safe by that time. But we both worry. We haven't had the best of luck these days.

Once the county inspector comes, he will determine if the tile must all come down. The state inspector said it did and he said the county would too. Either way, the tile in one area must be removed to see the supply line. If it was done incorrectly as we all assume, the plumber here today said he would do that at no charge for us.  (THANK YOU!!)

Then when all that is complete, we can move forward. Now to find someone to just do the pretty stuff. No plumbing. No moving of a drain. Just tile and grab bars and shower fixtures and door. We are both now skittish as you can imagine. We also feel that just for a shower it should be less money. We aren't getting new vanities or anything. I'd love to but can't afford it. 

This was all being done for Rick so the poor guy could walk into a shower now that he's had a stroke and has issues with his left leg.

So far, we have not had to contact our attorney again. We hope we don't have to. We don't need that expense too, but we will if we must.

As long as we get our money back and so far, that looks like it could happen with Amex, we just want to move on. The state and the county are taking care of this MFer. I want to shut 'em down. Ooh, and they will be fined. I don't recall the exact amount, but it will be painful for them. 

We both enjoy that fact. 

The bottom line for us is if we don't get the money back, we can't afford to do this and will just have a bathroom that looks like it's under construction.

Fingers crossed this all plays out the way we need it to. 

Send all the good juju you can, please.