Having heard horror stories about home renovations when Hong Kong resident and HR professional Rachel Autherson began hers, she sought to protect herself by employing a contractor recommended by a friend. But, as with many things in life, it didn't turn out as she hoped.
By the end of the process, she and her partner felt used and violated by the lack of professionalism that went into the work. When they finally moved in a week before Christmas, the stove and toilets were not yet fitted, and the bathtub leaked. Their granite countertops were gouged and new wooden floors scratched.
It would take a further four months of wrangling with the contractor to correct more than 150 problems, defects or errors, and in the end she said, they were unable to reach a resolution. They had already paid him 90 per cent of the total cost and he was demanding the full payment for additional work that had not been completed to their satisfaction.
'We just wanted him out of our lives, so we paid him most of the contract price,' she said. 'He got away without finishing the job.'
Few things scare homeowners more than hiring a contractor to oversee a renovation. The prospect is exacerbated by an expatriate's lack of Cantonese-speaking skills and the perceived belief that they are getting ripped off.
Yet, the contractor for this project was a German expatriate and Ms Autherson accepted his quote because he was on time for initial meetings, the quote was prompt and detailed, and in the beginning communication was good. Unfortunately, that changed when things started going wrong. Then, no amount of English could help when he stopped taking her calls, replying to e-mails or showing up on site.
