Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Doc" wrote in message

I've found a General Contractor who says they can do the work. They left
an
agreement with me to sign before they'll begin any contact with the
Insurance company. I realize many of you aren't attornies but am hoping
some
have had experience with this sort of issue and see what you think about
some points on the agreement -

In spite of the comments of others, more important than the language of the
contract is the reputation of the contractor. Most of the clauses are
standard language stuff from the Commercial Code. Read the back of most
company purchase orders and you find this type of thing and in all my years
in the business world, none have ever been enforced. You get the
merchandise, you pay for it, everyone is happy. Problems? Discuss and
resolve.

You can take this to your lawyer and pay him hundreds, maybe thousands of
dollars to negotiate a different set, or, you find another contractor.
Check his reputation. Nothing is more important.

I have to disagree with you on this one. A reputation deals with the
past, a contract with the future. The best contractor can run into
problems. I don't think the guy in question is one of the best. Check
with the BBB and state licensing bureau - I'm sure the guy has plenty
of complaints, or take Phil's advice and ask for a list of satisfied
clients that you can contact and inspect the jobs. The guy will
disappear on you - guaranteed.

Most of those clauses are close enough to normal to seem innocuous on
first reading. But they aren't vague at all. They're specifically
written to remove all responsibility and give the weasel, errrr,
contractor, room to "maneuver". It's a scam contract, pure and simple.
If the contractor didn't give you a tube of KY when he delivered the
contract, he's no gentleman.

R