Easy Handyman

I hired Easy Handyman (Ernest) for a few small repairs on a condo I rent out next to UT campus. He did the first couple things quickly and charged me a reasonable price. He did a pretty decent job, so I decided to trust him with a few bigger jobs. This is where I went wrong. He started asking me to pay him for part of the job up front so he could buy the supplies he needed. He told me that he'd always save his receipts to give me. After the first job though, it was impossible to get them from him. He told me he didn't have them, and he started ignoring my calls when I'd call about them. I had asked him to take out the bottom board of a cabinet that had rotted and stunk, and I found out later (after I paid him) that he had actually just put a board on top of it and left the stinky board. I then had to hire another company to undo what he did and do it correctly. He did a very sloppy tile job, and the metal strip between the tile and the carpet is already coming up. I left a couple supplies for him to use on the grout between the tiles, and he took them but never used them on my tile. I continually asked him to give it back, but he wouldn't answer my calls or emails or call me back. I was way too trusting and paid him before seeing any receipts for supplies, and then I was never able to get the receipts. I know he overcharged me on the tiles. When it came time to 1099 him in January, I blocked my number and finally got him to answer my call. When I asked for his info for his 1099, he got angry and extremely rude and then lied and said that he's a "company" so I'm not supposed to 1099 him. He said not one person has ever sent him a 1099 form. After he hung up on me, I called the Knoxville city hall business license department, and they said that he is a sole proprietorship. I called the IRS, and they said I'm definitely supposed to 1099 him (as long as I paid him over $600). I called Ernest back and told him, and he said that I should have told him ahead of time. He said everyone who 1099's him tells him ahead of time. I reminded him that he had said no one has ever 1099'd him, and he changed his story with more lies. He told me I had become "a real problem" and to not call him again. I was appalled with his unprofessionalism and rudeness. He started out friendly at first, and as soon as I started trusting him and giving him more jobs, he started ripping me off, lying, stealing, and then trying to dodge paying his taxes on it. I will NEVER use him again.