It is sad that this has happened.
I know of many competent contractors that do quality work and on time.
1. Should have not given any money up front.
2. Pay a deposit equal to the amount of materials placed on site.
3. Make sure to see the invoice for materials.
4. A written contract is required if you do not know the contractor.
6. The written contract would spell out times of payment with progress.
7. At least 20% is held back until the job is completed and inspected.
8, A one year written warranty should be included.
Granted - those that live here and know many of the contractors don't do all of the above as a verbal agreement is all that is needed for those known contractors.
Here is another story a few decades old. But relevant to said situation.
This nice elderly couple wanted a single door garage built on their lakefront property. Names of quality contractors were provided to them but they chose one that they found on their own. Those days it was newspaper ads.
They paid the $6,000 up front to a contractor they found themselves.
No work done.
Call after call.
Then an article shows up in the Laconia Citizen newspaper. This contractor had stiffed multiple people and the courts/police were after him. He had left the state.
This nice elderly couple paid another $6,000 or more to get the garage built.
At that time $6,000 or thereabouts for a one door garage was roughly the going price.
So they paid double or more for this one car garage. They lived out of state during off season and were not here.
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