Vent: Lost a $1,200 contract because of a tiny mistake on a church job in Nashville

I was working on a stained glass restoration at a small historic church in Nashville back in May. The pastor wanted me to fix a cracked panel from the 1920s, and I spent three days matching the original glass color and lead lines. I finished it up and set it in the frame, but I forgot to let the putty dry fully before cleaning off the excess. The whole thing shifted slightly overnight, and by morning the panel was crooked with a gap you could fit a dime through. I had to redo the whole piece from scratch with no extra pay, and the church board decided to go with someone else for the rest of the project. Has anyone else had a simple oversight ruin a big job like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_thompson672mo agoTop Commenter

That "gap you could fit a dime through" line got me, because that's basically the exact amount the church board probably saved by ditching you. Hope the next contractor charges quadruple for the experience.

miam1126d ago

You know what gets me about this whole thing is nobody's talking about the tax write-off angle. Churches love claiming they're struggling but they write off everything from the lightbulbs to the toilet paper. Paul was probably giving them a deal already and they still tried to nickel and dime him. Watch them turn around and claim the new guy's higher price as a "necessary expense" on their books while telling the congregation they're tightening belts. That dime gap is going to cost them way more in the long run but they'll never admit it.

ryan_clark402mo ago

Nashville traffic must have been backed up from the putty drips that morning, I swear.