Serious question, why do so many people assume a handshake deal is good enough for a contractor?

I came across a statistic from the ABA last week that said nearly 60% of small claims disputes involve verbal agreements with no written contract. Has anyone else had to learn this lesson the hard way, or am I the only one who trusted a neighbor's word on a $2,000 fence job?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.jordan14d ago

I saw a report that said almost 70% of contractors have been burned by handshake deals at some point. People just say "yeah I'll do it for this much" and then ghost you or try to charge double. Learned that one with a deck project last summer.

the_emma14d ago

Did you at least get the satisfaction of watching them try to take down a crooked fence with their own bare hands? Mine ghosted me halfway through and I ended up with a 4 foot privacy wall that only covers my mailbox.

kelly_miller8014d ago

Used to be all about trusting a handshake myself until a roofer did me dirty on a repair. @the_emma your mailbox story hit close to home, now I'm the one shoving contracts at everyone before they even grab a tool.