steel building - builder welched out and disappeared

[Kendrick]

shady people are not beyond aquiring shady supplys/tools either. It is entirely possible both ways. he could have had an illness etc or skipped out of town due to stupidity or greed. some ppl take kneecaps in lue of cash....

double check with a lawyer. when home owners get cleaned by a robber for injurys sustaned from their dog while the perp was trying to break and enter ... protect ones self first....

 

[Gale Hawkins]

2x

Our CMB builders dropped their equipment/supply trailer on Wednesday afternoon and showed back up the next morning and knocked out the job in two days.

Had they been in an accident, etc being 6 hours away from Atlanta their trailer might still be here. In this case they are contractors hiring to CMB so the details of the job/location plus CMB has a company rep based out of Nashville TN.

I like dealing with solo operators but when bad things happen it can get iffy. Hope there is a good outcome in this case.:thumbsup:

 

[BillP603]

I would start with the Sheriff, when they come by they will at least be able to run the plates on the trailer and get an address of this guy. That would also start the clock ticking on the abandon vehicle law. Then see if you can meet the deputy that attempts to make contact at an address with the guy, having a law officer standing beside you would make asking for a full refund much more convincing. I would also lock the trailer and attach a note with your cell phone number if someone comes to move it. Best of luck with this situation.

 

[wedge40]

I have to agree with Dcyrilc.
I would wait and make sure the guy really "welched out" before complaining about him. My fist assumption would be that he is having some sort of medical issues or something personel going on. Wait till you have an answer as to what is really going on before telling everyone.

Wedge

 

[Soundguy]

I have to agree with Dcyrilc.
I would wait and make sure the guy really "welched out" before complaining about him. My fist assumption would be that he is having some sort of medical issues or something personel going on. Wait till you have an answer as to what is really going on before telling everyone.

Wedge

does he not have a telephone.. or telephone access.. even in the hospital he could make calls... come one guys. it's been a LOOOOONG time.

something other than the guy just ain't back is going on here.

soundguy

 

[deputy11]

I wouldn't bother with calling the sheriff. At this point in time it is a "civil" matter. Contact a lawyer for how to proceed. If the contractor is found there may be grounds for a civil suit in which case, assuming you win, the lawyer fees might be paid.

 

[hokiebird]

All - thanks for the advice.

This weekend I moved the trailer back behind a shed in the back of my property. Mainly to get it out of sight from the road - I don't want anyone else driving by and taking it - leaving me responsible for it. It is a nice double-axle trailer loaded with 2x12 and 2x6 form boards, plus a large box of stakes. The tags on the trailer expired August 2010.

I'll be contacting a lawyer this week on the situation and starting to look at filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and whatever other trade associations I can. Even if it were a personal problem that is preventing the work getting done, there is no excuse for absolutely no communication for over a month in these modern times (unless it is a near-death illness, and even then I would think a family member would be helping out). All it takes is a phone call. I've used his personal cellphone voicemail, landline voicemail, email, and certified letter. I am trying to track down a home address.

I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt - that's why it is now 6+ months after signing the purchase agreement and still nothing - I've not even gotten a copy of the building plans or engineers drawings. I've lost all confidence that he could finish the job, even if he came back to me tomorrow and promised me he would do the job.

My gut feeling is that he had financial problems with cash flow.

The silver lining is that over the months I've come up with some improvements in the building design, so that when we do get it built it should be even better.

 

[jinman]

Hokiebird, I think you are handling this the best way possible. Moving the trailer to a more secure location was a good idea. I'd leave it loaded just as it was until the matter is resolved. Taking a full set of pictures would not hurt also.

I think not calling the police or sheriff is a good idea. What are they gonna do? Most likely they will just have the trailer and contents moved to their impound lot, thus removing your one bargaining point of value to get your money returned. In my mind, I can see a scenario where they contact the owner and he comes down and pays the impound fee and gets his trailer without your ever knowing about it. Having your lawyer help you put a lien on the property is probably your best hope of ever getting your money or being able to sell the trailer and contents to regain part of your investment.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hokiebird, I think you are handling this the best way possible. Moving the trailer to a more secure location was a good idea. I'd leave it loaded just as it was until the matter is resolved. Taking a full set of pictures would not hurt also.

I think not calling the police or sheriff is a good idea. What are they gonna do? Most likely they will just have the trailer and contents moved to their impound lot, thus removing your one bargaining point of value to get your money returned. In my mind, I can see a scenario where they contact the owner and he comes down and pays the impound fee and gets his trailer without your ever knowing about it. Having your lawyer help you put a lien on the property is probably your best hope of ever getting your money or being able to sell the trailer and contents to regain part of your investment.

I agree with this 100%

Eddie

 

[Lt CHEG]

Hokiebird, I think you are handling this the best way possible. Moving the trailer to a more secure location was a good idea. I'd leave it loaded just as it was until the matter is resolved. Taking a full set of pictures would not hurt also.

I think not calling the police or sheriff is a good idea. What are they gonna do? Most likely they will just have the trailer and contents moved to their impound lot, thus removing your one bargaining point of value to get your money returned. In my mind, I can see a scenario where they contact the owner and he comes down and pays the impound fee and gets his trailer without your ever knowing about it. Having your lawyer help you put a lien on the property is probably your best hope of ever getting your money or being able to sell the trailer and contents to regain part of your investment.

This is excellent advice. As a former uniformed cop who has had to handle these types of situations before, I can tell you that getting the police involved will not help you in this situation. A very likely outcome could be that once the neighbors see the police there, then maybe they'll call and make a complaint about the trailer in the future and since the tags are expired, it could be towed to their impound lot and you've got nothing. This is a civil matter and there is nothing that law enforcement can do for you at this point unfortunately. I would say that you acted reasonably and have reasonable justification for any actions that you have taken. I'm not sure how much money we're talking about here but most likely you're probably in small claims court territory. Judges in those venues tend to reward reasonable, level headed actions taken by someone looking to recover their loss.