Sweet, check this out

My mom got up to the cabin... and someone had refinished the back deck. Ha! I guess another cabin ordered the work done and they did the wrong cabin. Thanks a bunch suckers!

Can I come stay at your cabin, Mister Moneybags?

:D

That's the real issue. ;-)

for the cost of refinishing.

We learned about this -- it's the doctrine of quasi-contracts, there to prevent undue enrichment.
Basically--
1. Did the workers do the work intending to be compensated? (Yes, they did it thinking they'd be compensated, even though they made the mistake.)
2. Did your family get, appreciate, and retain a benefit? (Yes, the back deck was refinished, and it's impossible to give it back.)

'Course...very few merchants will try to collect, because it makes them look bad -- and courts are sympathetic to the "hey, I didn't *want* the deck re-done, I can't afford to pay to have it re-done, if I'd wanted it re-done, I would have done it myself, and in a different color, so really this isn't a benefit, it's a detriment" argument.

Still...legally, the deck company has a case to collect.

/law-student buzzkill

"I didn't want my deck re-done" I was going for a "Shitty old unfinished deck" look and they came on my property without permission and wrecked it.