Why Doesn't My Contractor Show Up When They Say?

Well there could be quite a few things going on in your contractor's life, but most of the time, they are simply too busy to handle the work load that has been placed upon them.

In the construction business, it's usually feast or famine. This means that contractors usually have more work than they know what to do with, or they're sitting at home watching TV, waiting for the next job to start.

I can't tell you how many contractors I know, that have told me that they will be there on a certain day or complete a certain project, within a certain time, and don't. This is extremely common in the construction business and the people who complain the loudest, often get the work done, a little bit sooner, then the people who are more agreeable and acceptable to the contractors burdens.

If your contractor isn't showing up when they say that they will, ask them to be honest with you. You’re probably going to have to demand the honesty from them. I know quite a few contractors that give people like me a bad name, by lying to their customers.

I once told someone that I was going to start their job on February 1, I had signed a contract and receive their down payment, that would not be refunded to them, if they pulled out of the contract, about one month sooner than I was able to start the job and they were acceptable with this proposal.

When I was running behind on the job that I was working on, I ask the man if I could start his job in a few days later. His response was simple as he said,” No, absolutely not, you said that you would start on this day and I'm holding you to it.”

If your contractors not showing up on time, there's probably a good reason for it, but don't let them take advantage of you. If they aren't performing at an acceptable rate of progress, explain to them that you are going to fire them and hire another contractor.

This will do one of two things, motivate them to complete the project on time, or motivate them to release their obligation to the contract. Either way you'll be better off and happier, most of the time.