...Basically I'm screwed because I do not have an elaborate contract. I just have our agreement on the job, materials, when it will be complete, when payment is made.
Correct. No matter what they did and how they did it, without a written (not verbal) contract of how, what, how much, etc., you're not protected from their ineptitude. It's your word against theirs.
I see where I made an error here, but I felt I did everything I could to screen these people. They were priced right in line with other bids. They got to it quicker because a delay in another project moved their concrete work to another day.
You probably did a great job of screening them. But, if they were in a time constraint by squeezing you in between other jobs and having you done by the time the next job was to start, they may not have taken the time and care they would have normally. Just speculating.
I'm thinking about providing them some feedback I've received and potential case review I will make on Angie's List. If anything, I just want my experience shared on that site since they use that for reviews so that people don't make the mistake I did.
That's good of you to do that for the benefit of others, but also remind them to get a WRITTEN contract for the proposed work. If the work is satisfactory when completed and for a reasonable length of time thereafter, it won't be needed. But if they don't fulfill the obligations of the contract, then it's your defense in court. Judges don't make decisions based on hearsay, but they do on hard evidence. If the company isn't willing to provide a contract that meets the customer's satisfaction, then move on.
Same thing if a company isn't willing to provide a Certificate of Liability for the job. Case in point, I hired a company to do a roof for me. I asked for a Certificate of Liability (COL) from the company owner which states that in the event of damage due to their negligence to my person or property, they are adequately insured. The guy said that in 14 years he'd never been asked for one and insisted I not press him for it!! So, I called his insurance company to see if, in fact, he was even insured for doing this 2 1/2 story, complete tear-off, re-sheeting, re-roof. Oh, he was insured alright, but for "general carpentry and
occasional roof repair". All this guy does is roofs, 40-50 major residential and commercial roofs a year, and he's pretty high-profile about it. When he found out I'd called the ins. agency, he saw me in a parking lot, got out of his truck, slammed the door, stormed over to me and ripped me a new shirt for "blowing him in" to the insurance company, complaining to me that he likes to "fly under the radar" so his rates won't be as high as the other (honest) roofers are paying, which is expensive. I told him if he couldn't provide me with a COL, I'd find someone else. He did end up providing the COL and I hired him. Toward the end of the job, he admitted it was a good thing to have gotten the COL. It's both your right and obligation to protect yourself and your property to have a COL from a contractor.