JONES ENTERPRISES

My elderly mother called Randy Jones to install a stacked washer/dryer because she knew him and he was a friend to my brother. She did not know any other plumber and did not want a stranger in her house with her. After several calls, he finally came to look and told her it would be too much work to put it where she wanted it. She decided on another location and tried to talk to him off and on for several weeks. After a 10 day hospital stay, she came home to a returned call from Randy. I called him, told him the situation and he said he would be there the next day for an estimate. He came, I showed him the room and pointed out the convenient location of the existing plumbing. He talked to my mom while I was in another room. He said he would be back the next day to do the job but did not leave written estimate and if he gave an oral one, it was very vague and evasive to my ill, elderly mother. Mom was rushed to the hospital again that evening. I sent my maintenance guy, Andy, to let Randy in at 8:30 and do the finishing work. Randy began by ripping out a huge piece of sheet rock instead of just the small area he needed for access. Andy pointed it out and Randy said that would be Andy's problem to fix. Except for the copper fittings that Randy quickly pocketed, Andy did all the clean up. Randy took a 20 minute personal phone call. Everything was almost finished by noon. Randy and Andy took an hour lunch. I checked on progress at 12:30. Randy and Andy returned around 1. I left at 1:15, they left at 2. Randy cut his finger on the washer. He called me at the hospital to say he had to have stitches and insinuated mom should pay his Dr. bill. A few days later, he sent a bill. Mom died unexpectedly. He and his wife attended the wake. A few days after the funeral he called about the bill and left a thinly veiled threat to take action. I looked at the bill which only stated totals for material,tax and labor. I requested an itemized statement for material and labor. He sent a bill by certified mail with only materials itemized and a threat to file a mechanic's lien. I sent a letter asking for itemized labor and to check for inverted numbers on the laundry box. Randy replied with a defensive, nasty letter that gave the labor charge and an ultimatum. I replied with a letter and a check for the bill. I told him not to confuse the fact he worked for my mom with the belief that she trusted him not to inflate the charge because the opposite was true. He filed a mechanic's lien the same day he received the check, just to jack up the charge. I will not use him nor ever recommend him.