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I had a friend help me to fix my basement. He quoted me at $3200 for material and $2800 for labor. I gave in, my mistake, the $3200 up front to get the stuff and start the job. We had some differences and he dicided not to finish. He said that we are even he has spent about $1500 in materials and $1700 in labor (which is very high). He will not give me receipts. What should I do know, because I know they did not do that much work to get that much in labor, and with out the receipts I am not sure what he really spent?

Optional Information:
Kenosha, Wisconsin

Already Tried:
Just asking for receipts and a final invoice

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $15

If you cannot negotiate a settlement with this person then your option is to sue them in small claims court. Here is the site for Wisconsin small claims court: http://www.wicourts.gov/about/pubs/circuit/smallclaimsguide.htm

You would sue this person for breach of contract and they would have to show that the cost or their services was the amount that they were paid. If not, you would recover the balance. You can also recover the costs of filing in small claims court. I hope that I have provided you with options.

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Reply to J D Haas's Post: I have no written contract, everything was just verbal. We never set an hourly rate just a total for all labor. So will this be tuff to win? What is the average cost of taking someone to small claims court?

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on November 8 2007 at 12:35 PM

You can still win without a written contract. It will depend upon the evidence you have and your believability vs. the believability of the other person. You can recover your costs if you win. I do not know what the filing fee is in Wisconsin, the brochure at the website will have that information. Usually it is $25-50.00. Good luck.

In the future, you can specifically request that I work with you on your legal question. If you have specifically requested that I answer this question, thank you.

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