# Unlicensed & side jobs - how to get burned.



## kimo (Jul 22, 2011)

Back in the day, unemployed, desperate - we needed money for the looming rent, never mind food or gas.
I had a little construction knowledge and less plumbing savvy. Anyhow, i put out feeler ads in the local free sheets and got a "good" response - believe me, goodness had little to do with it.

Some of the characters who hired me were well up on stiffing unlicensed guys like me - One example was that after about 50hrs of my work and materials the woman house holder did the disappearing trick, and later threatened in a phone call to report me for unlicensed work.

Another woman agreed to stage payments and 12hrs later claimed to have forgotten the deal - next day i drove her to her bank, she came out with twenty bucks or something, saying the bank manager wouldn't let her have any more.

There were other deadbeats but more honest people who allowed me to just scrape by. Never again i said but down the road some way 2 experienced plumbers and myself got stiffed for a week ends side job by a landlord - i think he was the one who said he would call the union on the other guys.


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## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

Sounds like you and your customers deserve each other.


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## cjtheplumber (Mar 9, 2012)

why not just get a license?

Wait I forget insurance is expensive...

What is this guy doing in here ?


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## Gargalaxy (Aug 14, 2013)

Just the insurance?.....


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## Pacificpipes (Oct 1, 2013)

Get a license. Then you can burn back.


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## kimo (Jul 22, 2011)

Why dont you guys who are critical read my post - unless you are illiterate or stupid you would read that this all happened "back in the day" - it happened years ago FWIW.

I dont try to be a smart a+s on here, i just tell it like it was with bits and pieces of my work life so far. I dont pretend to a babes in the wood work life, i'm saying thats how it was and the consequences.

If you've got any brains you would see that what i'm really talking about is how bad things can go when you try to beat the system.

AAMOI when i first started in construction i had no idea that anyone had to be licensed for anything.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

I had a guy that worked for me who went off on his own and got 
burned real good at x-mas for a few grand on a re-model for a Rich Lawyer and his pickey wife... They threatened about the same thing to turn him in to the authorities and they literally 
threw him out of their house after all the work was completed.....

He told me that he got even with them with a sling shot and ball bearings ... 

he made it his mission to go by their home and knock out the windows on his BMW and Mercedes every few months till he finally cooled off:laughing::laughing:


some folks never forgive and never forget....


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Master Mark said:


> I had a guy that worked for me who went off on his own and got
> burned real good at x-mas for a few grand on a re-model for a Rich Lawyer and his pickey wife... They threatened about the same thing to turn him in to the authorities and they literally
> threw him out of their house after all the work was completed.....
> 
> ...


I've gotten my revenge a few times when i got ripped off. It feels good I must admit.


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## plumber11928 (Feb 18, 2015)

I was called to replace a WH in a pizza place back in the 80's.
After the job was done he said he didn't have the money to pay me. This was after he beg me to come and do the job, because he was losing business. After a heated argument I left. I returned the next mourning and told one of his workers i needed to check the WH.
That's when i removed his gas meter and held it for ransom. I got payed an hour later.


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## hroark2112 (Apr 16, 2011)

Here in NC, if you're not licensed to perform the work, you can't win a lawsuit if you don't get paid. It's specifically stated in the law...if you're unlicensed you have no claim for labor or materials.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

hroark2112 said:


> Here in NC, if you're not licensed to perform the work, you can't win a lawsuit if you don't get paid. It's specifically stated in the law...if you're unlicensed you have no claim for labor or materials.



that is basically the way it is everywhere.....if you did not pull a permit or dont have a lisc..


and many of the thieves , parasites and lawyers know this little loop-hole in the law.. and they prey on young sub-contractors all the time.


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## TXPlumbBob (Dec 13, 2013)

Way back in the day I went to work for a plumbing company and registered as an apprentice. Years later I thought I knew enough to turn out and got my Journeymans. I got laid off, got my Masters and went to work on my own. Never looked back.
Here once you install a plumbing fixture or WH it becomes part of the structure and it is HIGHLY Illegal to remove it.


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

hroark2112 said:


> Here in NC, if you're not licensed to perform the work, you can't win a lawsuit if you don't get paid. It's specifically stated in the law...if you're unlicensed you have no claim for labor or materials.


Same in the state of calif,
I did some side jobs when I was a journeyman but thankfully never got burned,
this was with my bosses permission


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

TXPlumbBob said:


> Way back in the day I went to work for a plumbing company and registered as an apprentice. Years later I thought I knew enough to turn out and got my Journeymans. I got laid off, got my Masters and went to work on my own. Never looked back.
> Here once you install a plumbing fixture or WH it becomes part of the structure and it is HIGHLY Illegal to remove it.


It is here or else a lot of people would have the appliance taken back, and probably not gentley either. It's sad how that law works.


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## SchmitzPlumbing (May 5, 2014)

shop owners should print threads like this and hang it up for their employees to read. suddenly the side jobs wont sound as good.


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## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

Dpeckplb said:


> It is here or else a lot of people would have the appliance taken back, and probably not gentley either. It's sad how that law works.



That doesn't mean you can't remove the thermal switch.


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

plumberkc said:


> That doesn't mean you can't remove the thermal switch.


I've been told of guys who will break off the curb stop rod then pour a little quick Crete down the shaft. :thumbup:


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

plumberkc said:


> That doesn't mean you can't remove the thermal switch.



dont you mean the water heater warranty tag??:laughing:
their are a lot of ways to get even with someone who stiffs you....


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## Fast fry (May 19, 2012)

Permits don t mean shat here in vancouver - city will not even back you up - obviously been down this road


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

Master Mark said:


> dont you mean the water heater warranty tag??:laughing:
> their are a lot of ways to get even with someone who stiffs you....


I once pulled the flue damper off a commercial water heater when the building mgr would not pay a service call fee


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## jc-htownplumber (Feb 29, 2012)

I was told by my continuos education prof. One of his friends is a brick layer and always had an uneasy feeling about the lawyer he was working with, he was the ho. He was always late paying his due and he felt he was going to go get stiffed at the end. When they were finishing up the wood burning chimney he told his helper to go to the truck and bring him the 3ftx3ft piece of glass he had. They laid the glass on the stack and finished the chimney. He was right he wouldn't pay and wouldn't pay. Months later in the winter he gets a call back the the chimney won't wok properly. He said pay me what you owe me and I'll fix it. He got paid cash and a service call to come drop a brick down the chimney.


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## plumbdrum (Nov 30, 2013)

jc-htownplumber said:


> I was told by my continuos education prof. One of his friends is a brick layer and always had an uneasy feeling about the lawyer he was working with, he was the ho. He was always late paying his due and he felt he was going to go get stiffed at the end. When they were finishing up the wood burning chimney he told his helper to go to the truck and bring him the 3ftx3ft piece of glass he had. They laid the glass on the stack and finished the chimney. He was right he wouldn't pay and wouldn't pay. Months later in the winter he gets a call back the the chimney won't wok properly. He said pay me what you owe me and I'll fix it. He got paid cash and a service call to come drop a brick down the chimney.



Oldest trick in the book


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## Johnny Canuck (Feb 24, 2015)

Fast fry said:


> Permits don t mean shat here in vancouver - city will not even back you up - obviously been down this road


Plumbing isn't even a regulated trade in Newfoundland. There are apprentice officers and block training for those like me who want to do it properly though, but its voluntary.


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## robwilliams (May 6, 2011)

Wow! After reading through the responses to this original post, I am amazed at how no one that has been burned has not gotten a signed contract before starting any work. In our business, we record EVERY incoming call. We inform them of our $150.00 service call that MUST be paid in cash or C/C, NO CHECKS. We inform them the $150.00 service call is only for us to come out and tell them what is wrong and what it will cost to correct the problem. If they want us to actually make the repair, we have them sign a contract before we pull out any tools or start any work. Now I know things can still happen and they can probably still try not to pay, but at least we have them agreeing to our charges either on the phone or in writing. Usually, if people know they are being recorded and agreeing to the service call fee, and if they sign a contract for us to do the work, they are probably going to pay up.


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