database for non-paying customers??

You are entering some shark infested waters with this one.... Might want to think about investing in prepaid legal. A "legitimate" site like this will equal a "legitimate" lawsuit. All great contractors have customers they would rather not ever see again. Instead of wasting energy and valuable time on trashing them consider this.

Its Business, it is not personal.

If I am the contractor and the homeowner thinks I am an idiot and is difficult, why is he giving me money? Who is the idiot?

That is why we have forums like this, so we can tell the story here, laugh and move on.

The class act contractor has standards and work ethics that no matter what, the right thing is done for the right reason. Anger drains the soul and sinks the ship.

just trying to help, I'm not the contractor

ModernStyle said:

How do you get ripped off alot ? You should learn after a couple of times and change the way you write up contracts and schedule payments so that it will avoid these types of things.
I would definetly make sure I had a disclaimer if I was starting that website you are talking about.

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This is about my brother as a contractor and another business where he works. I pretty much know what you need to do ahead of time, but sometimes it still doesn't work out. I also know that this type of a website would definately have to go thru a lawyer before I'd ever proceed. I'm just looking for any sites that may already be out there to see how they set it up and so forth.

My brother is a contractor and this was his idea. He gets ripped off a lot....

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BOY!!!
Now there's a curious comment if I ever heard one. I would think your energies would be better spent appraising your brothers conduct and procedures and helping him to morph himself by developing some new methods.

In thirty three years of construction contracting I have been stung only three times. Once for $225.00, once for $1800.00 and once for $31,000.00. There was a lesson in that last one. It has never happened again.

Bud Cline said:

$31,000.00. There was a lesson in that last one. It has never happened again.

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LOL!!! sorry Bud I am laughing with you, not at you. In the toughest and most extreme lessons there is a positive side to the experience gained as painful as it is to admit. Just came to the end of a $21,000.00 lesson. A laugh I am sure you understand.

Well that was almost twenty years ago and now I have it filed in my "Chit Happens" file but back then it was a real a$$ kicker as you can imagine.

I know you'll believe this part of the story.

On that job I was a third tier subcontractor working in Texas under a GC from Mississippi. The Super and his three foremen allways carried a Bible on their dashbords. We were expected to be on the job at 6:30 each morning so that we could all participate in a group prayer. I had the filthiest mouth on the job and proved it one day when they were two weeks late with my draw and wouldn't address or sign any of my ongoing change orders. I exploded in that CS's face and called him everything but a Mississippian. Inside of an hour I had moved all of my equipment off the job and sent everyone home. Then they sued me.................never made it to court tho.

Bless you my son!

$21,000 .....
$31,000 .....
I am glad I dont operate on that large of a scale, I would definetly be in prison.
There is a painter that goes into the loacl paint store that ripped off another painter I know for $15,000. I asked the guy arent you gonna say something to him ?
His answer was what good would it do.
I told him you are already into this guy for 15, you give me another $1000 and I will drag his little a$$ outside and pound him in the face with a quart of paint untill you want me to stop. He declined my offer.
You guys kept your cool though and are still free men so I have to say your business sense far outweighs anything I have to offer.

ModernStyle said:

$21,000 .....
$31,000 .....
I am glad I dont operate on that large of a scale, I would definetly be in prison.
There is a painter that goes into the loacl paint store that ripped off another painter I know for $15,000. I asked the guy arent you gonna say something to him ?
His answer was what good would it do.
I told him you are already into this guy for 15, you give me another $1000 and I will drag his little a$$ outside and pound him in the face with a quart of paint untill you want me to stop. He declined my offer.
You guys kept your cool though and are still free men so I have to say your business sense far outweighs anything I have to offer.

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I don't operate on that large of a scale, I am actually a tiny little contractor, and although I won't bore you with the details, don't think my head didn't go there a time or two. But the people involved were simple minded and it really wouldn't have made a difference... I have a good wife who is very supporting of me and we got through it. Energy at times like that is best served on solutions and keeping my side of the road clean no matter what. Besides, to waste a perfectly good paint can on people like that... just not worth it.

non-paying customers ... Some Humor ??

First sometimes my brain gets warped. I used this one time
mailed the instruction (see attachemnt) to he customer.
When I showed up out side his property with a old bag cell phone
he gave me a check. I left ROTFLMAO

I agree that a Homeowner Review site could be very helpful to contractors. During these tough economic times a bad client can do more damage to your company then they could have done a few years ago.

I can spot a trouble maker pretty quick, but these days it's not so easy to simply walk away because I have a bad feeling.

I have been giving this a lot of thought over the last year. I actually have a website in the works, but it's just a Home Page with some thoughts on it at this point.

Maybe some day I will follow through with it.

It's not about getting even with a homeowner, or humiliating them on the www. It's about protecting honest hardworking contractors from real bad clients. A bad client doesn't just hurt a small companys owner, or employees when they refuse to pay. They hurt whole familys, including children, and pets.