PSA: That 'handyman' I hired left me with a leaky roof

I hired a guy off Craigslist named Dave to patch a small leak near my chimney in the Northeast Heights. He quoted me $400 cash, said it'd be a quick fix. Spent a Saturday watching him smear some tar around, but he didn't even clean out the old debris first. Three weeks later, a monsoon came through and water was pouring into my living room, ruining part of the drywall. Called Dave back and he ghosted me, wouldn't pick up or text. Ended up paying a real roofer $900 to redo the whole section and fix the flashing too. Anyone else get burned by those cheap 'handyman' ads on Nextdoor or Craigslist?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.susan5d ago

This is just how it goes with cheap labor these days. Everyone wants a bargain but you end up paying double when they cut corners or just disappear. Same thing happens with those $50 oil change coupons, they find something wrong and suddenly you're in for $300.

linda_mason824d ago

Well, I used to think you were just being cynical. I always figured you get what you pay for but sometimes a deal is just a deal. Then I hired a guy off Craigslist to paint my fence for cheap, took two days and it started peeling a month later. Had to pay a real painter double to strip it all and start over. Now I get it, that cheap labor ends up costing more in the long run every single time.