Curse You VISA
Recently my home has been under renovation and as a result, there have been contractors in and out of my house for what seems like forever. Aside from the traffic and dust that accompanies such renovations, the main issue my family has had has been with a certain marble company. *Cough* ONYX MARBLE *Cough* They “installed” a countertop and backsplash but did it in a rather abysmal way. We insisted that they fix it or they don’t get paid, but as it turns out they will get paid anyway. After a lengthy conversation with VISA it turns out that when we submitted our VISA number upon initiating the job (A mandatory step in the contracting) we inadvertently agreed to pay them regardless of if they completed the job or not. VISA went on to say that VISA is not a moderator, merely a substitute for cash and they would not cancel the transaction that was not sanctioned by my parents, as they are not liable to do so. In the contractors contract, somewhere in the small print, he had outlined this and VISA more or less does the same. Therefore, technically, any contractor you commission to do a job does not even have to finish assuming you signed a contract (Which any contractor would make you do) While I understand the need for such contracts, (What if I decide I don’t want to pay them for no reason?) ultimately in this situation it is me and mine who got burned and not the contractors. Bottom line, read the fine print, even if it takes some time.
–David
