Did you have any sort of written agreement with this character? You didn't ask about this but...I don't know the exact laws in your state regarding late payment penalties but in Texas, where there is no agreement regarding interest on unpaid bills, the maximum rate that can be charged is 6% per year and that can only begin to be applied 30 days after the debt becomes due. So, even if you did actually owe him the amount he is claiming (which I doubt), absent a written agreement to a higher interest rate, I'd suspect that if he tries to assess a 15% late payment penalty for every day that an alleged bill goes unpaid, he would be in violation of your state's usury laws. Next, each state has very specific laws regarding mechanic's liens and the time limits in which they MUST be filed. You should probably do a little research or talk to a lawyer in your state regarding mechanic's lien laws. Once the time limit for filing a lien (which can be as short as 30 days) has passed, check your county records to see if a lien has been filed against your property. If not, you can rest easy about that. If he has filed a lien, then you'll need the attorney to help you deal with him. Assuming everything you've said is true, my suspicion is that this guy won't really file a lien. He sounds like the kind of shoddy workman who deliberately low-balls bids and then, once he has the job, attempts to hijack more money from his customers. Chances are, if you start checking, you'll find he has a long history of doing the same thing to other customers. The last thing he wants is an actual court battle where you could allege "fraud in the inducement" regarding the contract and start delving into his prior business practices to show that he has made a pattern and practice of doing the same sorts of things to others. Also, you'll want to keep watch on your credit reports so that if he files anything with a credit bureau, you can dispute it so it doesn't negatively affect your credit score. And BTW, once the deadline for him filing a lien against your property has passed, do report him to the BBB. Unless you complain so that other homebuilders have at least some chance of finding out about what he did to you, he'll be free to keep on screwing other people around. Good luck.

Hmmm...Wasn't going to post for another couple months! lol But, CC#1 = $170.00 (maybe a bit less), & plans are to have it pd OFF by years' end. (I actually have till Jan '08 statement for the low rate to expire - which wouldn't be so detrimental due to the low balance) I hate the bank tho, and really wanted to pay it off sooner! But that didn't happen. CC#2 = Don't know exactly, but definately under $700.00. Next closing date is SOON. (I haven't been focusing so much on CC #'s 2 or 3, as they are fixed unless I default on ANY payment! - oh I don't like the sound of that 'clause') CC#3 = About $3150.00. AND...That "Oops!" CC bal is paid in full - YAY! (And I m SO patting myself on my back for THAT one! haha) PLUS, I paid our full mortgage payment(s) this month, plus about $150.00 over on 2nd. (YUP! I just couldn't pay minimum only. I want that 2nd paid OFF ASAP!) OH! AND...I started "paying myself first" last May - min 10%. BUT, after the first "pay myself", I decided to play "catch up" for the year, so I started paying myself 20% or whatever more I could. Also ran across an opportunity to lock in some CD's @ 5.45% APY - so I did that, and I trf'd some old 3 mo cd's into 6 mo cd's for the higher rate. They are in such a manner that I cannot easily get my hands on the money! LOL! So, basically, I'm living on the "below the edge of poor"! Christmas has been discussed, and we are going to do nothing except maybe take advantage of food sales, and IF we NEED something like thermals or sweats to keep warm, or a new battery for my trusty 18 yr old $2.00 hand calculator, or stuff to go into septic system... The ONLY gift we may buy is something for my Mother, which will probably be small $ amt gift certs for her favorite grocery stores or resturants (people from her church oft frequent places for Sunday lunch, and many times she doesn't go if it's expensive.) The GOOD thing is, we've had a sorta fairly mild summer. So, I've been able to use more $$ to pay towards bills. I have done some shifting on my pay plan to get CC #1 paid off (hopefully by years' end), and to get that "Oops" paid off. I've been SLAMMING on that #1 for awhile. (Sometimes it's a GOOD thing to hate a certain company - motivates ME to not give them any more $$$! LOL!) BUT, I'm going to have to slow down now, as winter is approaching - need to be prepared for those high heating costs for about 4 months! (We have heavy drapes, but bad windows! It gets SO cold here in winter, and I HATE the cold in my home!) I feel pretty good for now about my debt pay plan and how much I've paid off. I'm very impatient tho. I wanted more paid off SOONER. I've been obsessed with my bills and constantly reviewing them. (Sometimes 3 or 4 times a month lately - it's like I have a 'bulls-eye', and only one chance to hit it!) It's going to be hard to 'slow down' over the winter to adjust to high energy costs. We've already taken a big hit on less income in the household. We will adjust - at least for a short while. I will keep reviewing where we stand, and hopefully we will survive! IF it comes necessary to start digging into my pittance of savings, it's time for some serious decission making...(like I haven't already been thinking about that? Yes I HAVE!) For NOW, I need a big pat on my back for what I have accomplished! LOL! (I've a feeling next year is going to be even tougher than this!)

We bought and had installed approximately 1,000 sq ft of Puresque carpet 6 months ago. We bought this brand based on the marketing that it eliminates odors - important to us with 4 dogs. It has been the worst investment in our home ever. While odors are no longer a problems, stains are almost untreatable. The carpet seems to just hang on to standard everyday stains that no other carpet ever has. We have had it professional cleaned 2 times by our trusted carpet cleaner we have been using for 15 years. This product just does not clean well. In addition, it has seriously snagged in multiple places and runs and unravels like a sweater. We have several "bald" spots now even though we have knotted off the unraveling spots as we find them. We plan on replacing this costly disappointment as soon as possible. We would never recommend this product.

Sounds like one I will like to read, so putting it on my wish list. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm in the midst of reading Natchez Burning, a nearly 800 page (& I'm not a fast reader) mystery dealing with the racial divides. This is my second one by author Greg Iles...& have become a fan.