Has anyone had any experience as a consumer filing a comlaint with the ca. state contractors license board?
I would be grateful to anyone who will share their experience.
Has anyone gone so far as the arbitration process, and how was your outcome?
Answers:
The CSLB's mediation and arbitration officers have a reputation for leaning toward the consumer (and rightfully so, assuming contractors are supposed to know the laws and Joe Homeowner may not). If you submit to binding arbitration and you lose, however, that's it - you cannot appeal or later file in court (or go after his bond).
If the amount in dispute is less than $12,500 (or if you are willing to settle for that amount), you can make a claim against the contractor's bond. Making your case to the surety is much like making your case in court - explain what happened and back it up with evidence. But the LAST thing a contractor wants is a claim paid against his bond. Without $12,500 bond, he loses his license. To get the bond back, he would have to repay the $12,500, and then it would be EXTREMELY difficult to get another bond anyway - it gets very expensive when you are a "high risk" contractor.
I'm assuning that you and the contractor have gone through the mediation process prior to filing a complaint. Mediation is a great tool to bring the people at odds together in front of a mediator that will listen to the issues and suggest reasonable compromises on both parts to resolve the conflict.
The arbitration process is a long one and the rammifications of the process can't be over emphasized both for the contractor and the idividual. Remember this: There are three sides to every issue, your version, the contractors version, and the truth. It's difficult in this forum to give advice on such matters because we don't have the entire picture in front of us.
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