Threatened

LegacyUser

I have used a particular website for about five years now on and off to hire tradesmen and handymen of various sorts for jobs around the house. I have never once had trouble. I always choose them first on the reviews and then I narrow them down by the best price. This week I did similarly and agreed a job price with one. He initially wanted to be paid per day but I said that I wasn't in the market for that and finally we agreed a set figure and shook on it.

I made it absolutely clear that I needed a job price rather than per day price and that was non-negotiable. The agreement was based, clearly and unequivocally, on this financial constraint.

Today, he hadn't the job finished but wanted to be paid the agreed amount. I of course said no. What followed was unprecedented in my life. The ugliness started with numerous threats of the "blacken your name with everybody" type. After that, it went into a rant about "posh people like you expect people like me to work for nothing", and other equally ugly, baseless stuff (I've a very ordinary professional job) that is just a level of conflict and bitterness I've never experienced. I still refused to pay him the agreed money for doing only two-thirds of the agreed job and was very, very calm throughout this (although shaking inside with the conflict).

He then told me that he knew people in [named area] and he would get them to "pay you a visit". Bear in mind this was in my home, and fortunately my wife and young children were not present. There were no witnesses and as I never expected any such conflict I didn't record anything. The entire experience not only had me shaking but absolutely parched with thirst, wetting my lips just to get the words out. I feel I should tell somebody but that person cannot be my wife as she/we are very much not people who get involved in conflict as it stresses both of us. She would, understandably, worry a lot if I told her what was actually said.

After a while he became nice, said it was all a misunderstanding and that if I paid him today he would return and finish the job. I said no as I was unmistakably being bullied and threatened into giving him money now, but as I wanted to remove him from my life asap I said I would give him two-thirds of the agreed money now as he had only done two-thirds of the agreed job and if he finished the job tomorrow he would get the remainder.

Unfortunately, he said he would return tomorrow to finish it and went away a very different, calmer person than I had seen 10 minutes beforehand. It was like two different people, and that makes me very worried about meeting him and being near him in the house tomorrow. Unfortunately, I do not know a single person who would be able to be there with me tomorrow while he's finishing the job. I could be watching too many of these news stories about somebody going nuts, stabbing somebody else and destroying an entire family but for the first time in my life I'm afraid of meeting a person. I know there's a record of calls and people will know I'm meeting him, but that's not much help if he decides to take out a knife or some such thing. It also dawned on me why he had such positive reviews: if he behaved with other customers the way he behaved with me who'd be brave enough to write one using their real name. The worst review had simply '2/10. incomplete job', signed by an identifiable person. On the other hand, god help any older or defenceless person who followed the published reviews and had to endure what I had to earlier. And yes, I will put it down to life lessons and if I ever have to get a quote from a trademan online I will ask the person to write out the details clearly.

But what should I do now in this case?

twill

Call the guards and get their advice immediately, get someone to witness any further transactions you have with this person. If by chance he hasn't turned up yet, don't allow him in your home again, call the Gardaí.

Xterminator

HI OP

he sounds like a bully. don't give in, don't be provoked.

you handled this perfectly. he tried his luck, and probably 6 times out of 10 he gets his way. you didnt cave in.

to protect yourself, take pictures today of how the work is.
let him in tomorrow to finish the job; and record audio on your phone. (theres dozens of free apps.) in case there is another unpleasent outburst.

then never hire him again.

freshpopcorn

There's a good chance he was just blowing hot air and needed money for bills or something!
However, if you do feel threatened you know what to do.

Teyla Emmagan

Text him and tell him not to come back tomorrow. What a creep.

kylith

And definitely report him to the website.