Got scammed by a local handyman last month - need advice on recourse

Last month I hired a guy from Nextdoor to fix a leaky pipe under my kitchen sink. He charged me $250 upfront for parts and labor, then disappeared after the first visit. The pipe is still leaking and he blocked my number. Has anyone else dealt with a handyman who took money and ran? I'm in Austin for context, and wondering if small claims court is even worth it.

3 comments

3 Comments

paigewood3d ago

Take a step back and look at the whole situation. It's not just this one guy, it's the whole culture of paying strangers upfront for pretty much anything now. I've seen it with painters, cleaners, even someone who was supposed to fix my neighbor's fence. People just expect full payment before they do any actual work because they know most folks are too nice or too worried about being rude to say no. The second someone asks for all the money before they even unload their tools, that's when you gotta treat them like a telemarketer and just hang up in person.

gavin9282d agoMost Upvoted

@the_jenny nailed it, my buddy lost $400 to a driveway sealer who wanted full cash upfront and never came back.

the_jenny3d ago

Oh man that sucks so bad. I'm sorry that happened to you. I just want to point out one thing though - you said $250 for "parts and labor" but then said he charged you upfront. That's actually a huge red flag right there. Any legit handyman will usually just ask for a small deposit, like maybe 10-20 percent, not the whole thing before they even start. Especially for a simple pipe fix under a sink. I've had plumbing work done a few times and nobody ever asked for the full amount upfront like that. So in the future, if someone wants all the money before they even show up with tools, that's pretty much a scam from the start. As for small claims court, it could be worth it just to get a judgment against him if you can find his real name and address. But honestly he probably does this to people all the time and just changes his number or something. The biggest thing is spreading the word on Nextdoor so other people in the neighborhood don't fall for the same guy.