RIPLEY & SONS CONSTRUCTION

After meeting the owner at a neighborhood association gathering, and a positive recommendation from a fellow neighbor, I gave Rich call to meet to bid a MAJOR renovation project (move/update kitchen, renovate bathroom, reconstruct roof/dormer in attic, siding, deck, etc.). After a second call to Ripley Construction (I should have known better then - he didn't call me back after my first call 1.5 weeks before), Mr. Ripley called me back. We made arrangements to meet about 10 days later at our house. I took a 1/2 day off work to meet him at 2pm; I'd heard good things, so I made special arrangements to meet with him. At about 2:30pm, I called Mr. Ripley to see what the hold up was, but he didn't answer. I left a voicemail reminding him that we had an appointment, and to please give a call if something held him up. I was willing to be flexible and make another appt (am I a sucker?). Finding a contractor who will just call you back, or show up for an estimate is such a frustrating process. I think I'm a pretty easy going, not-super-demanding client. But, when I make a commitment to do something, I expect others to do the same. This is not the first time this has happened with a contractor, but since I had already met this guy, had recommendations from neighbors, and that he was resident of my neighborhood too, I thought it might be different. Wrong.