Inside/Out Contracting

My wife and I have tried to be very patient with Mike and have paid him top dollar for everything that he has done. We know because we solicited several quotes from other contractors. We never tried to bargain him down with the understanding if you needed minor things done along the way, then so be it. we don't need to ask you to put a door stopper on a newly hung door...
The problem was that Mike would decide to do things at his own pace and solely on his own terms. He has selective hearing and doesn't write you a quote, so he has to rethink what he has agreed upon. His work is reasonable with minor finish details that he expects to be paid extra afterwards. He is seldom on time and can't seem to work if there are other people around including with other contractors. He is tardy at best and often doesn't show up when you expect. His communication leaves alot to be desired that we suspect stems from other possible issues he may have.
Tonight I got home to find nothing was done on a third job that we gave him. When asked why by phone, he said he decided not to do the job. When asked why he waited for me to call him and not call or discuss earlier, he hung up. Is this what YOU WANT? Would you trust this person? We even left him a key to come and go as he pleased so he could work at a faster pace. This was our trust. This was ridiculous because he never showed up consistently from day to day.
We would strongly recommend that you think twice about hiring this person. He still hasn't completed the previous job to our satisfaction and as a reputable contractor, this is a reprehensible and totally unacceptable!