Vent: My first freelance gig went up in smoke because of a handshake deal
I took on a landscaping job for a guy in Aurora last spring. A big retaining wall project, $4,500 total. We shook hands on it, nothing in writing. I was dumb, thought it was fine. Halfway through he changed the design, wanted more curves and taller blocks. I said okay, no extra charge, just wanted to keep him happy. But when I finished, he paid me $2,000 and said that was the original deal. I had no contract to fight back. Now I always write up a quick agreement, even for small jobs. Has anyone else gotten burned by a handshake agreement like that?