The Acme Builders Dispute — Payment Trace & Promise Record
In September 2025 the owners engaged Acme Builders under a four-page quote — $33,500, with an $18,000 deposit “to begin” the porch rebuild. The quote contains no completion date, no schedule, and no termination terms. The garage scope was performed; its electrical work was corrected by a third-party electrician after the owners sent an itemized defect list that Acme answered with “we can swap that conduit.” The porch — the scope the $18,000 deposit was paid for — has never begun: five start-date promises between November 2025 and April 2026, each quoted below, each lapsed. The city’s permit record shows status EXPIRED with no inspections passed.
The exposure table — every dollar traced to scope
| Scope | Paid | Status | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garage electrical | $6,200 | Performed — corrected by third party | Third-party electrician itemized 6 defects; Acme reply: “we can swap that conduit”. Correction cost $4,150 (invoice). |
| Garage framing & roof | $9,300 | Performed — accepted | — |
| Porch demolition & rebuild | $18,000 deposit | NEVER BEGUN | Five start promises Nov 2025 – Apr 2026, none kept. Demand: return of the $18,000. |
The promise ledger — their words, verbatim, against the calendar
| Date | The promise (quoted) | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-03 | “We’ll start the porch first week of December.” | No crew appeared in December. |
| 2026-01-09 | “Weather delayed us — start is 3 weeks out.” | Nothing by January 30. |
| 2026-02-17 | “Materials land Friday, we start the following Monday.” | No delivery; no start. |
| 2026-04-06 | “You’re on the schedule — about three weeks out.” | Nothing by May 4. |
| 2026-04-21 | “Three weeks out, give or take.” | The same interval, re-promised three weeks after the last one lapsed. Nothing since. |
Five start commitments across 211 days (computed and asserted at build). The final two promises restate the same interval after it had already lapsed.
