BEST PICK REPORTS
consumer tips
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1. Prices that seem too good to be true usually are too good to be true. Some "great deals" result from cutting corners, such as providing low-quality work or substandard materials.
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2. Do not buy from an unknown company selling door-to-door. Some contractors have well-rehearsed door-to-door scams designed to quickly separate you from your money.
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3. Resist the high-pressure sales technique. Some companies offer "today only" incentives to encourage the homeowner to make a decision on the spot. If a company tries to force you to make a decision before you can do your homework, they probably do not want you to inspect them too closely.
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4. Be patient in the busy season. Many home service industries are seasonal. If a company in a cyclical business has very few customers in the busiest time of the year; there may be a good reason.
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5. Avoid moonlighters. Moonlighting occurs when a dishonest employee steals a customer from his or her employer. To offer a lower price, moonlighters often avoid such things as insurance, taxes, licenses, and other overhead.
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6. A company's sign in your neighbor's yard does not mean your neighbor was happy with the company's work. Some companies aggressively market themselves, and even the worst companies have a few happy customers.
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7. Thoroughly check references. Before hiring a company for a major project, ask several references tough questions about quality, schedule adherence, cleanup, communication, and disagreement resolution.
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8. Only compare apples to apples. If you are a bargain hunter and don't take the time to educate yourself about what you are buying, you may overpay by taking the lowest price.
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9. Avoid business on a handshake. Reputable companies that sell large-ticket items insist on contracts.
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10. Avoid large, up-front payments. If you make a large, up-front payment to a company that promptly goes out of business or skips town, you are out the money.
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11. Never open an account at a local store in your name for a contractor or write a check directly to a paint store. If a contractor's credit is not good enough to open an account, the underlying reason for the poor credit is probably a good reason to stay away.
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12. Do not help or lend tools to contractors. If you help or lend a tool to a contractor and the contractor gets injured, the contractor may be able to make a tort claim against you.
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13. Avoid cash payments. Checks leave a paper trail. If you ever need to prove you actually paid a bill, a cancelled check is very useful.
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14. Write the check to the company you hired, not directly to an employee. Some unethical workers steal from homeowners by convincing them to write checks directly to them or to a different company. After the money is stolen, the company that performed the work is still owed its fees and can rightfully put a lien against the homeowner's house.
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15. Request lien releases on major projects. A lien is a claim made against a property by an individual or company that has supplied labor or materials and has not been paid. If the general contractor fails to pay a subcontractor, the subcontractor can legally place a lien against the homeowner's property. On major projects, or on any project where you fear a contractor might not pay the subcontractors, make the receipt of lien releases from the contractor and all subcontractors a condition of payment.
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16. Never make the final payment before you are completely happy with the work and cleanup. Contractors are less interested in making you happy after they have been paid in full.
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To schedule a prompt, free, no obligation estimate, call these local suburban Chicagoland numbers.
| (630) 743-6250
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(708) 433-9995
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| (847) 469-4540
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