How much guidance should a gardener need?

[Kalina]

If he wanted to be paid the amount he quoted you, he should've done the work that amount was quoted for 🤷‍♀️

Honestly, how much of a percentage of work do you think he did, compared to what you were quoted for? Maybe that's a fair way to look at it? You could email the boss with a quick thanks, and something like, "we feel x% of the quote was done, therefore we will pay x% of the quote"

If the boss offered for him to complete the job - would you allow it? You could follow it up with "we are happy to pay the rest, if *contractor* returns and completes the job as per the quote"

Thanks for the reminder, that's true, he should have. I have a reflexive and unhelpful tendency to start feeling sorry for people.

If I'm generous I'd say he did 30% of the work he quoted for. So I could pay half the invoiced amount and still feel that I'm being more than fair considering the facts.

I wouldn't be comfortable with him coming back to work until it's done. For practical reasons, because he's so bad at his job that I think I'd have to follow him around and point out every dandelion, and also because that would feel a bit like debt slavery.

Half the invoice I can swallow, and then go back to the drawing board and find an actual gardener.

[Kalina]

honestly, after all this drama and back and forth, i’d pay nothing. it’s all been more hassle than it’s worth.

That's completely what I would tell someone else too. I think I suffer from some kind of insane inner discomfort at having someone perform manual labour for me, which I get blinded by.

[SSecret Squirrel]

I will prefix this by saying that I am very conflict averse and hate giving negative feedback.

I think in this situation, I would probably pay half too. I would like to say I would play hardball and only pay 30% but in reality I would struggle doing so. Exh would have had no problems paying nil, however I just don't think I could do it, given he did do some work.

Don't get him back though. He has accused you of lying and proven himself to be lazy and unreliable.

ETA the above would depend on how much the actual bill was. The higher the bill, the less (%) I would be inclined to pay.

[EnchantedGrace]

That's completely what I would tell someone else too. I think I suffer from some kind of insane inner discomfort at having someone perform manual labour for me, which I get blinded by.

If ours me concerned, I feel that way too 🤣 but as an outsider, it is easier to make suggestions. If you're happy to pay half, when less than that was done I think that's more than fair.

The boss sounds fair so hopefully understands and agrees - Unless his offer was a passive aggressive one but now I'm overthinking it too much 🥴

[Kalina]

If ours me concerned, I feel that way too 🤣 but as an outsider, it is easier to make suggestions. If you're happy to pay half, when less than that was done I think that's more than fair.

The boss sounds fair so hopefully understands and agrees - Unless his offer was a passive aggressive one but now I'm overthinking it too much 🥴

They do know where I live haha. Maybe I'm a cynic,
but I think the boss is being nice because he knows they haven't got a leg to stand on - the emails are a contract, which they didn't fulfill. If that wasn't the case I suspect the boss would be demanding payment, not leaving it up to me. As things stand he must figure he's better off getting part of the payment by being nice than none at all. The actual gardener is probably a subcontractor who may not see any of it.