It’s hard to find a solid, honest contractor these days, and if you’ve ever had to hire someone to work on your house, you know that’s the truth.

In this story, a homeowner got fed up with a contractor and they’re taking a firm stand by deciding not to pay him.

Let’s take a look!

AITA for not paying a contractor who won’t fix what he broke until he’s paid?

“We own a modest vacation rental, and it needed its septic tank emptied.

Turned out the previous owners had planted a tree above it, so the septic company recommended an excavator to come out with a backhoe to dig it out and put a hatch over top of it.

They marked the tree for him by putting a couple of rocks around it; we were not present as we live out of town.

This guy blew it!

Excavator came and did the job, but initially dug under the wrong tree, right next to the house, and accidentally pulled out the main power line, and broke the water main.

He called us to tell us what happened, and we began frenziedly making calls to deal with the problem — turn off the power, turn off the water, cancel and re-accommodate the next rental guests, due to arrive the following day.

When we call the power company their first question is, “did he call 811?” This is the service to locate power lines before digging; it’s local law that this must be done before any digging.

In the middle of all these calls, the excavator’s office calls and asks for his full fee. No power, no water, no plan in place to repair them. We say, “we’re going to have to think about that.” Excavator calls moments later, spitting nails, demanding to be paid.

Here’s the deal…

After a lot of contentious back and forth, including his insistence that he never calls 811 because it’s not necessary, I tell him that we’ll pay his full fee if and when he fixes what he broke.

He takes great umbrage that there is any doubt at all that he’s going to fix it, accuses us of trying to “hold this over him,” and says he doesn’t believe we ever intend to pay him.

I assure him that while I am willing to overlook the lost rental income, the job has grown in scope to include electrical and water repairs, and that until those are done, we’re not paying. He grudgingly agrees to do it.

This guy is a total flake.

It’s now been 3 days since that conversation and we’ve heard nothing from him. We have now made other arrangements for the repairs, which are going to far exceed his initial fee.

AITA if I don’t pay him at this point? Do I owe this person anything under these circumstances?

He had some expenses in installing the hatch over the septic, which I am somewhat inclined to cover out of fairness, but at the same time this person has been shockingly unprofessional, yelling at my partner on the phone, complaining after things went sideways that we’d ripped him off on the price in our initial negotiation, and of course not just seeing it as his responsibility to fix what he broke.”

Yikes!

Here’s what folks had to say on Reddit.

This person offered some advice.

Another reader said they’re NTA.

This Reddit user spoke up.

Another person had a lot to say.

And this individual said they’re NTA.

These two are locked in a fierce battle over money!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.