Dear YouDig?,
Seriously, we run into contractors that will lie, lie, lie and then after taking a breath will lie some more. They did the work. They followed specs. They received verbal authority. They have the troops. They can meet the deadline. We get stuck burning precious time deciphering their line of **** instead of working out our project. The lies often turn into a bizarre 2-3 year legal odyssey. How do you deal with a liar up front?
-Truth Seeker
Dear Truth Seeker,
I never liked Pinocchio. He is a liar. Always will be a liar. Unfortunately, the noses of the liars on your project don’t grow when they lie to you. Construction contracts should provide a means to put a party on notice of the possible dispute. When you first get that “lied to” feeling – act. Call it out. Document and investigate it. If there is specific contract language, follow it to a tee. If there isn’t, still give early notice, a short chance to correct and a deadline. If you are in such dire straits that you must do business with the liar, ask yourself, “why?” and change your business plan. As a rule, when you give the liar a pass, you water down your rights and, worse, encourage the liar to lie again. As they say, leopards don’t change their spots and liars will always lie, YouDig?
