The Client Isn't Always Right. Sometimes He's Just Looking for Someone to Blame.

They told us it was our fault.

And the first thing I felt was fear — because behind that word stands my insurance

The client ordered a kitchen. We did the wall painting and the laminate floor.

Another company installed the cabinets and the countertop. Then it went bankrupt. Disappeared.

The countertop and sink were joined wrong, water ran down the back wall, the cabinets swelled. The culprit is obvious — whoever set the countertop. That company closed, there’s no insurance, no one to ask.

Small kitchen, but the real cost isn’t in our work. The cabinets are new and expensive, the floor was just laid — and to fix the water damage, all of it has to come apart, dry out, get replaced and reassembled. That’s where the real money is.

According to the Arcadis Global Construction Disputes Report, the average construction dispute in North America now runs about $60.1 million — up from $43 million the year before — and takes around 12.5 months to resolve.

So they started hunting for someone to pin it on. Who else worked in the kitchen? We did. The logic is simple and dirty: the real culprit vanished, but you’re right here, and you’ve got insurance. So they try to make you pay for damage you never caused.

You can do your work perfectly — and one day hear “it’s your fault” for something you never touched. What saves you isn’t luck. It’s that you showed up and checked yourself.

We Didn’t Take Their Word for It

We could have panicked and made excuses. Instead, we drove out.

We checked our whole zone — the walls, the floor, everything we touched. To get to the truth, we had to crawl under the sink. Not over the phone, not on the client’s word. Ourselves.

And here’s what we found: there was no silicone sealed between the sink and the countertop. Water collects in the seam and leaks onto the cabinets. That’s the source.

That’s the countertop installers’ work. Not ours. Our part was fine. We left with a clear conscience.

What we found out stayed only in our heads. That’s what StarProve is for — what you verify on site stays on the address, instead of driving off with the crew. It’s the same reason a smart contractor checks whether the last contractor already knows something about a place before taking the job.

The Real Lesson

Here’s the real lesson. The client isn’t always right. Sometimes the client knows it wasn’t you — but you’re convenient. You’ve got insurance, you’re right there, you’re easier to pin it on than the truth is to find. He’d rather screw over the guy who showed up than chase the one who ran.

And when the blame turns into a demand for money, you’re one step from the fight every tradesman knows — the one where a homeowner refuses to pay a contractor for work the numbers clearly show wasn’t the problem.

Read what was left before you. Leave what you learned.

StarProve is a private, closed platform for verified contractors — the record of a job site stays on the address, not with the crew that drove off.

Sources: Arcadis — Global Construction Disputes Report

Disclaimer: StarProve app is a private, closed platform for verified contractors to preserve and access professional project experiences and operational history. StarProve app does not identify, rate, or profile homeowners, residents, or property owners. The platform does not provide consumer reports, credit scores, or background checks on individuals, and is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA. All Job Site Logs reflect the independent professional experiences and opinions of the contractors who submit them.