My branch brushed a gutter, I paid what was asked-- can he come asking for more, later?

[ArborOdyssey]

[Note-- I'm a 'merican not in England!!]

 

TL;DR-- If my branch clipped a gutter, and gutter repair was $325 based off a text/SMS quote which was based on the pictures my client sent to "his roofer guy", if I paid my client $325 for it, and on my letterhead he signed-off to my written (verbatim) "Tree work & gutter both 100% settled", can he come back later and say "Oh it turned-out to be $525, you owe me $200 more"??

Thanks!! 

 

 

Ok so I'm very aware it's a bad-look to have this kind of complaint/issue, if it's your damage you should shut up & pay, but there are INCREDIBLY extenuating circumstances here so far as I can see, and furthermore I did pay my only fear here is that, by refusing to work at below-cost rates for him doing another Oak tree, I fear very high likelihood he's going to go "oh well that repair was just quoted at $325, it actually cost $1200, so you can bring that difference by whenever", and I won't/can't work for him anymore because I still cannot tell all of "his tricks", he is a shady guy so far:

 #1 -- the text that his guy quoted $325 on?  That gutter was PULLED DOWN, I - thank god - have the time-stamped before & after pictures, but yeah I walk in the back day 2 and did a double-take, he turned a bumped/bent gutter and pulled it from the ground exposing a bunch of underlayment (which, to me, would say that the quoted-prices damages are partly HIS damages but whatever)

#2 -- The rest of house has gotten new roof/gutters, just not this area, it's being done last after trees aren't right over it, and while he DID listen to me and put wood on the

concrete patio-pad nearby to protect that, he wouldn't put  up a tarp & told me don't worry & explained how that is just being torn-off & replaced once the Oaks are out of the way

#3 -- FOUGHT me when I tried paying him, he didn't want to "be square" he wanted me to work it off, I literally had to say "This is money you *have* to take it if I owe you money you cannot refuse it" (not even joking, literally mentioned words "legal tender"!!!)

#4 -- He still has a letterhead/billing-form of mine, and had asked me if he could lie and WAY up-mark what he paid, I said No but until I've reclaimed my letterhead he can just mark what he wants, big lesson learned there (IF I am holding that form, this afternoon at his house, because the #'s on it are no longer valid, and it's been superceded by a new contract, IF I have it in my hands I can write VOID on it, right?  That's my goal when I go to quote the other Oak today, to reclaim that letterhead...will not say Yes to doing his work, am quoting w/o real intent of doing anything else for him)

 

I won't make an item/# out of him taking my 2511t from the table by the tree and put it in his garage w/o telling me, I leave the site thinking I have everything because I've done my 3rd visual-sweep and only when un-loading do I realize its absence, I speed-back and go to where it was last IE on the table where my fuel/screnches/etc are, a table you have to pass entering&leaving the backyard, anyways it's not there so I figure it's a snowball's chance in hell but figure text him and, sure enough, he tells me he has it in his garage...I was elated at first so it didn't cross my mind that he's also a contractor and, maybe I'm overthinking this, but if I were "trying to help" (ugh) a contractor who was doing work at my place, and he'd showed / explained a badass piece of hardware he had, then he left and supposedly "missed it" and I took it and put it with my tools, I guess that in my mind it would look/be borderline thievery to not let them know that, indeed, I now have their gear in a spot they don't know how to access & have no idea how it got there...

 

Sorry for length the TL;DR should suffice I think, haven't had a problem like this in longer than I can remember, just wanna split from him but he still needs another Oak down so is NOT gonna be happy with me not offering services anymore, am technically going to quote the other one's removal this afternoon, but NOT planning to take the job, not that I expect he'll say Yes to the way higher # I'll quote him, but - even if he does say Yes to it - I've got no doubt that he'd only say Yes if he had a plan to dump that price down (IE why I'm making this thread, as I expect that - at minimum - to goad me into working more for him he'll likely do something like "Oh actually the real price was $600 for that repair, not as nice as the $325 quote I'd gotten at 1st" so it's important to me to learn whether he does/does not still have hold/control/leverage on me!!

Thanks a ton for any understandings Re "altering terms after contract is signed"!!  Hope everyone's weekend has been going well!!

[Chipperclown]

Erm, I am tired so going to bed, good luck! 

[Dan Maynard]

Doesn't sound like you have anything to gain by quoting the oak, if I have this right he's asking for another 200 but has nothing to base that on?

If it were mine I'd do nothing and tell him to direct correspondence to my solicitor, I guess being US he might try to sue you for the 200 but how will he win that? The more you talk to him the more dodgy it gets, in my opinion.

[Wonky]

It’s a long read… I did read most thou..

 

it does seem he’s trying to take you for what he can..for what I can gleam, ie extras and extras on top.

the top handle saw is worrying..if that was me I’d be straight on the messaging /I’ve found your saw you forgot / left..etc.. 

 

its easy to say when my wages arnt in the equation, but I’d not be working for this guy  again and cut my ties real quick . But if I did work for him I’d be extra careful.. real carful..🤔👍😉

[Doug Tait]

I don't understand the post fully, seems complicated.

 

If he's paid you in full for the work you've already done, and you've paid him the agreed price for the repairs, and you have the paperwork to prove it, then just decline any further work...

 

The forgotten saw or him possibly using your receipt fraudulently in the future, all irrelevant. 

[trigger_andy]

WTF?

[Stubby]

2 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

WTF?

nutshell .