I moved back east to a "small town" thinking that I would not have to deal with  shady contractor handymen carpenters. Boy was I wrong. I am amazed at how many of these "professionals" can barely start a project on time, let alone finish one.  This is my chosen profession, to be a contractor, and I am continually running into  clients who have been given the short end of the stick when it has come to their  home reno projects. In a town of 38,000, I have come across seven "companies" who did not have the skill to bid a project properly, did not have the skills to complete a project completely, or the will to complete a project completely (let alone do it within a set time frame). Your home is one of your largest  long term material investments  Stop cheaping out and hiring contractors  for $10 an hour and expecting the work to be perfect.
The customers are also to blame for this. They hire people without transportation— first sign you’re not dealing with a professional. They get major projects started with out a written contract. So no set price, no written scope of work, no payment schedule and no time frame to complete said work. Then they wonder why they get ripped off or the "contractor" disappears when the wallet seems to be empty. Then expect me to come in a rescue them for $10 an hour. Screw that. I would rather work at a fast food joint—at least there I am inside and they buy the uniform. Thankfully I have the skills, tools, truck and will power to compete jobs and every single client I have done work for since I’ve been here has used my company for second and third projects and/or have referred me to friends and co workers.
For people wanting to hire someone: look for little things in your next contractor; has business cards professionally done; has signage on their WORK TRUCK not their mom or wife's geo metro; takes their shoes off when in your home; has a website or Facebook page that shows work they’ve actually done (not from some generic  stock photo); check the date the website/Facebook page was created and that will give a better indication on when they  started the company; look for date stamps on photos; BBB look for bad reviews (if they are listed, that does not mean they are a bad company—it means they don't need or want to pay for a high grade); will provide a written contract or a written estimate for small or large jobs. If they want you to get a second and third quote for a job, it means they are confident in their work and price. If you do not feel comfortable with them don't use them. Don't rely solely on review websites. Search "BBB scam,” "angies list scam," "Yelp scam," or fill-in-the-blank review website scam. You will find that any one can pay for a better rating or for fake reviews. —Tired of cleaning up other peoples messes