There’s an old expression that says, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

I’ve always hated that quote. It rings with negativity and negates those of us who believe in doing as much good as we can.

So, here’s my question to you. Would you advance money to someone working for you even though you had a contract saying payment wasn’t due until the job was finished to your satisfaction?

If I just saw that question and didn’t have any more details than that, my answer would be no. It doesn’t seem like a smart thing to do.

But then I’ll throw in some details and see if your answer would change.

For the past few weeks Jason has been putting in a new bathroom shower for me. He did an excellent job tiling the area and putting in two new lights. It’s old plumbing but he had the skill to do it right and I was pleased with his work.

I figured he would be finished in another day. All he needed to do was to pick up the shower door I ordered, install it and attach some missing faucet screws.

But when he pulled up to my house in a truck that sounded like thunder, he said he couldn’t pick up the door until he fixed the truck because he didn’t think it would make it.

OK.

But then he asked if I could give him the remaining $500 for the bathroom, even though the job wasn’t finished.

He said he needed the money to fix his truck so he could pick up my shower door and finish the job.

Well, since he probably only had another day’s work at my house, and since he explained how he couldn’t get by without his truck, I didn’t think it would be a problem to give him the money.

Other things going in his favor seemed to be that a good friend of mine recommended him. Plus he lives on the next street in my community where we all know each other.

I gave him the money.

That was three weeks ago and he has yet to return to finish the job. Instead, he went on to put in a bathroom for another person because he needs the money. I don’t count because I already paid him.

Jason doesn’t answer my phone calls or emails. He did answer when I called on a different phone, saying he would call me back on his lunch hour. Guess he hasn’t eaten lunch since then because he never called.

I am at the end of my patience. As a last resort, if I can’t get any action, I am going on our community Facebook page, posting a photo of the unfinished bathroom with a warning for others not to pay for the job before it’s finished. Even though I would not mention his name, plenty of people would know who it was.

My daughter Andrea, who has a similar problem with one of her contractors, said I should not retaliate like that.

“Appeal to his honor and give him a way to do the right thing,” she said.

She’s right. I think most people are basically good. We want to do what is right. I know for a fact that Jason is a good person at heart. During the hurricane that swept our area he went around helping old folks put up their storm shutters. I think he has a good heart.

My two choices are to keep appealing to his good nature. Or, to cut bait, lose the money I paid him and hire someone else to finish the job.

So, tell me. How would you handle it?

Please don’t answer like my husband did. He said he never would be in that position because he would never pay for a job before it was finished. Never.

I will admit I should have known better. I got burned once before by falling for a guy’s sob story after I hired him to do some landscaping. Holding his toddler son in his arms, he asked for money in advance because the electricity in their home was turned off after nonpayment of his bill. With temperatures in the 90s, his wife and children were really up against it.

I gave him the money. But he never did the job.

The police officer said he hoped I had learned a lesson.

I guess not.

If “being smart” also means closing my heart to someone’s troubles, I’m not sure I would opt for smart.

On the other hand, when you get burned twice, you develop an inability to trust. And that’s one of the sad offshoots of this mess.

Because of all the hurricane damage to my house, I am dealing with roofing and fence contractors. There’s a long waiting list for these contractors, and to even get your name on the waiting list they are requiring a signed contract and a deposit.

“Sign the contract, if you must,” said my insurance adjuster. “But don’t pay any money until the job is finished.”

“If they want money for materials before they start, have the materials delivered to your house before you give them any money,” he advised.

Well, one thing is certain. I’m not the same trusting heart as I was before Jason pulled his money caper.

What are your thoughts?

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.