The contractor I had was recommended by a hardware shop owner for painting services. Initially only for painting but our friend came with a huge portfolio claiming he had done this and that.

His initial work, very charming demeanor and lower market rates got the calculation machine in my head all glistening with $$$ earned.

There were mishaps along the way which was overlooked due to time constraints. Bathroom grills rusting after a few months and toilet bow installation with ugly connections was overlooked.

However in the latest episode I got wiser to his ways of lack of transparency and dubious products. He refused to give invoices and when pushed reluctantly gave one.

He refused to give an official invoice for the autogate system. Instead he provided a set of figures from a blank invoice paper.

Sometimes trust gets overshadowed. I have no idea where he got the autogate system from as there was no paperwork at all.

Finally told him to dismantle the whole thing. At first did not want to respond but later a push from certain quarters left him no choice.

Now the door bell is not working and it is going to be another hassle to get hold of the electrician who did the work.

Moral of the long write-up is never trust these contractors, ask for all paperwork, follow up frequently and in detail and the biggest mistake I made is in paying up 100%.