When a contractor steps over the line

To protect the guilty, I will name no names and keep details light.

 But I have to blog about something that happened yesterday.  A contractor I love, use loyally and always highly recommend stepped over the line in doing some repairs for a listing of mine last week. I will admit my role in this play was not perfect, and in hindsight see what I should have done differently.  

Here's what happened:  I hired the contractor to do one job from a list of home inspection items.  I called and emailed this company about the one thing to be done.    Because it was one, simple, item, I did not send the entire report to them. There were other items on the list that I did not hire them to do.  For a reason (but I won't get into that).

They called me the morning of and insisted I bring over the home inspection report to the house to the guy on site.  My plan was to go over mid-way and check on progress.    It was 7:45, the last day of school and I had kids to deal with to get out the door.  But I dropped everything and took the guy the report.  I went over the ONE ITEM they were supposed to fix. This is the one I had called/emailed them about and discussed with the man on site.  I did not discuss the other items at all.  Because it was one item, I had not sent them the report and did not think it was necessary.

Well, the guy fixed the entire list of items.  Without a phone call. Without authorization. I found out when I got the bill.

When I called the scheduler, he said "We are obligated to do everything on a home inspection list."  I said you absolutely are not, you are required to do what I hired you to do.  If you find something else, call me, but you don't do unauthorized work.  He insisted they were right and that none of this would have happened if I had of given them the full report in the beginning.  I insist they are only to do what they are hired to do and the full report was none of their business.   He did shave one hour off of the bill when I reminded him how loyal I've been and how many dozens, if not hundreds of people I've recommended use them, but I am still feeling burned.  And of course, am picking up the tab for my client.

I admit I should have emphasized what NOT to do to the on site contractor, but still think they crossed a line and was not pleased with the way it was handled.   A contractor has no rights or obligation to ever do more than they are hired to do.  Yes they can call and ask/suggest, but that's it.

Thoughts?