Jakemann Racing

The statistics show that many common consumer complaints relate to home repair and improvement. These complaints generally have to do with contractors taking payment and not doing their job, contractors doing a shoddy and substandard job and contractors conning you into expensive and unnecessary work. The very number of these complaints suggest that there are a fair number of crooked contractors out there and why you should be extra careful when considering repair or an improvement to your home .

I think it is fair to assume that the average homeowner has little or no technical knowledge about home repair and is thus fair game for the con man. This situation can be compounded by an emergency such as flooding or storm damage when panic sets in and the first priority is to get the house fixed. Here are some common sense precautions for when you are vulnerable.

1) Take calm and considered decisions. I know this is difficult when you are in a panic and desperately worried about the flooding in your house or whatever your problem is. Take your own equivalent of a deep breath and count to 10. The emergency has already occurred so don’t make it worse by on handing over your money to a crook. Do your homework carefully on any prospective contractor and try and check them out in detail. When you consider the time, money and effort you are going to expend chasing after a crook, you will agree that a fraction of this effort checking them out in the first place is well worth the investment.

2) Deal with licensed contractors. As far as possible negotiate only with contractors possess a valid license. The license will provide some reassurance and, in many places, you will also be entitled to a measure of consumer protection. If you require expensive repairs make sure you get quotations from two or three contractors. As you can see, this automatically rules out roving repair men who show up at your door and often offered to do the job “on the cheap”. You will also be protected from over aggressive solicitation or threats both of which are pointers to a scam.

3) Draw up a proper written contract. This is something that many of us they get but it is very important to get a proper contract which shows all the relevant details whether it is names and addresses, scope of the job, price and dying for completion and so on. People often don’t realize that a formal contract also gives you the right of cancellation provided the right is exercised within a stipulated time frame. In other words, you can within reason change of mind even after entering the contract with no penalties.

4) Making advance payment. The crux of any scam is money and you will often be advised not to make any advance payment at all.

Obviously this is unrealistic and there is no harm in considering a reasonable down payment as you may otherwise find it difficult to hire any contractor, take the usual commonsense precautions such as offering to buy material yourself or offering a check made out directly to the materials supplier

Beware the contractor who offers to “fix” your insurance or FEMA claim in return for getting the job. Either your claim is valid or it is not, and in the latter case, any misleading or fabricated information given to the insurance company at the behest of the contractor could invalidate your insurance altogether and even involve you in criminal proceedings.

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