Lost $600 on a handyman who ghosted me after half a job

Last spring I hired a guy from Craigslist to redo the tile in my bathroom. He seemed legit, had photos of past work, and quoted me $1200 total for labor. I paid him $600 upfront for materials, and he showed up for two days then vanished. I've been staring at a half demo'd shower for 8 months now and I'm too pissed to start over. Anyone else fall for the upfront payment trap with a random worker?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_park5h ago

Did you pay him with a credit card or check? If you did, you might be able to do a chargeback or stop payment. Most people don't realize that paying with cash or a money order leaves you with no protection. A credit card gives you a way to fight back. Also, $600 for materials on a bathroom tile job sounds like a lot for just materials unless you picked really expensive tile. Handymen usually buy supplies with their own money and bill you after, unless it's a huge project. It's a tough lesson, but never pay more than 10-20% upfront to someone you found on the internet.

val_ramirez3h ago

Actually the tile materials thing depends a lot on where you live. I'm in Portland and $600 for bathroom tile materials is pretty normal if you're doing a full shower with tile board, thinset, grout, sealant, and maybe a niche or curb. I priced out a similar job for my own bathroom last month and it came to around $550 just for the basics at Home Depot. So that part isn't necessarily a red flag. The bigger issue is paying that much upfront to a stranger from Craigslist. Most legit tile guys I've talked to ask for maybe 30% down at most, and they usually show you a receipt for what they actually bought. But idk, maybe it's just me but $600 doesn't sound crazy for materials if you're doing a whole shower.