Wasted $300 on a 'handyman' for a gutter job I could've done myself

Paid a guy from Craigslist $300 to clean and reseal my gutters last spring, and they were leaking again by fall. Has anyone else had better luck with the local shops over random ads?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarhart14d ago

@stellanelson sounds like you got the same "handyman special" I did. These guys charge like they're certified pros but disappear faster than a paycheck after bills. At this point I'd trust a YouTube tutorial over half the people on Craigslist. Those local shops might charge more upfront but at least they have a storefront you can show up at when things fall apart. You pay for peace of mind I guess, even if it hurts the wallet. Hope your next pipe fix holds up better than my gutters.

jennifer20413d ago

Funny you mention storefronts, @stellanelson. Thats the part people forget. I had a buddy who hired a guy off Facebook to redo his deck. Paid half up front, guy showed up twice then ghosted. Turns out the "company" was just a dude using his moms address. But heres the thing nobody talks about even a legit small shop can screw you if theyre overbooked and rush the job. I got laminate floors laid by a local place with a showroom and all, but they stacked the planks wrong and the seams buckled in six months. Ended up tearing it out myself. So yeah, peace of mind is nice, but its no guarantee either way.

stellanelson15d ago

Paid a guy 250 bucks last fall to fix a leaky pipe under my sink. Three weeks later it was dripping again, and he had the nerve to ask for another 100 just to look at it.