Russ'll Fix It

I hired Russ to replace a cracked piece of drywall on my elderly mother’s ceiling. He inspected it and agreed to replace the drywall. We agreed on what seemed like a reasonable price. He arrived to make the repair while I was not at my mother’s house. He convinced her that there was no need to do the actual work he had contracted to do, and instead simply mudded the crack. Needless to say, it cracked again a few weeks later. I have spent 5 months trying to get Russ to make the repairs he agreed to make. He continually puts me off, claiming that he is too busy and will have to work me in “next month.” He has made no effort to actually fix the problem; he has not offered to refund the money, and he has shown absolutely no concern regarding the situation.