Can I dispute this charge?

[Miijia]

Hello,

I have never had a situation like this before and I am not sure what to do. I have a shower in my basement and it cracked. Since I was already having a plumber come out I decided to have a number of little issues taken care of as well. The plumber gave a quote of the shower and the toilet in the same bathroom as $2400.00 and the rest of the job was another $1800.00.

I am going to describe the rest of my situation in timeline format to make it easier to follow:
2/3 & 2/4 - plumber came out and did the work (charged to cc: $1800 first day, $2000 second day)
2/5 - shower still leaking
2/6 - called them up and they came out and did some caulking which they said fixed the leak
2/8 - was still leaking, still a lot of water and causing the wall to get wet, we called and left a message (this was a Sunday)
2/9 - bright and early they were at the door and did some work that they again said fixed the leak ( at this point I was still happy they were responding and trying to fix the problem)

2/10 - still leaking, DH called and spoke to the girl who answers the phone she asked about his availability on 2/12 & 2/13 he said he was wide open

2/13 - late afternoon, still haven't heard anything so I called and spoke the girl who answers the phone she said they would come out on Sat or Mon (2/14 or 2/16)

2/14 - 2/16 - did not hear anything and they didn't come by (we were here)

2/18 & 2/19 - I called and got the voice mail both times, left messages requesting a call back with a date/time they will fix the problem - no response

Do I dispute the charges? How does that work if they completed part of the job to our satisfaction? Can I just dispute $2400 of it? Do I need to provide more documentation first? Is disputing inappropriate since I gave them permission to charge my card?

I appreciate your help.

Thanks,
wellmalt

[MDM]

Call your credit card company and dispute at least some portion of the charge. 

You could dispute online, but our experience has been that calling is better.  YMMV.

See also http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/disputed-credit-card-charges-share-your-story/.

[Miijia]

Thanks for your reply MDM. Should I just dispute right away or do you think it would benefit me to send a certified letter first?

[iamadummy]

dispute the complete amount. that will get their attention

[MDM]

Personally I'd go with the phone at this point.  It's possible the plumber has been flooded (so to speak) with calls about frozen pipes, etc.  But they really should have responded.

See http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/your-money/what-happens-when-you-dispute-a-credit-card-charge.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 and http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/dispute-credit-card-product-merchant-1282.php for more information.

[Miijia]

I completely understand that pipes are bursting all over and I truly don't even care that they have to keep coming out. My big concern right now is that last week I called twice and spoke to someone and they never came out or called and this week I have called back at least 2x each day and keep getting the voice mail and no one has responded to me in 10 days. I really don't want to dispute the charge but ultimately I am not going to pay for a leaking shower.

My original plan was to send a certified letter tomorrow and continue calling each day. Then if I am still getting no response or no date/time is set up for them to come out I would dispute on 2/27. I really don't mind waiting for them to do the work I just want to know that it will be done. But truthfully, if it isn't water tight by 3/15 I will have to dispute even if they continue to try and fix it. I am not taking any chance of going over the amount of time you are allowed to dispute a charge.

[Miijia]

MDM also, thanks for those links. I had read the thread about disputing charges and I almost posted this question there but thought it would be better under ask a mustachian. The other articles are very helpful.
Thanks,

[arebelspy]

Dispute the thing completely, and get someone else out there to fix it.

[G-dog]

Definitely dispute now. You can also send the certified letter, etc in parallel.  You need to get their attention, saying they are coming out and then just not showing up is a bad sign - they have phones and could be calling you to reschedule, but they are not.
This, sadly, is not unusual for many repair folks.

[arebelspy]

I wouldn't even bother with the letter.  Dispute it, let the CC company handle it.  You've done enough as listed above.  Get someone else out there to fix it ASAP - that payment will also be proof that more fixes were needed.

[cpa cat]

Dispute the thing completely, and get someone else out there to fix it.

Ask the new person to document the problem in detail and write down the work they did. This is your evidence that the prior guy did not fix the specific problem that he was hired for.