Checking Out Some Of The Tell Tale Signs Of A Cowboy Builder In Your City
on November 30th, 2010 at 8:32 amPerhaps you are thinking about home improvements. There are some that you can do on your own. Others may require special tools or skills. You may not have the time to perform the work. It may be best to hire a professional. It is important to hire the right people for the job. There are unscrupulous individuals or cowboys, waiting to take advantage of you. How can you tell the good from the bad? Here are some of the tell tale signs of a cowboy builder.
They come to you
Your door bell may ring, one afternoon. It may be a man offering to fix your roof or driveway. If this happens, you should be very cautious. Licensed contractors do not travel door to door. They do not conduct business this way. They work from referrals and ads placed in places like newspapers and phone books.
Working from his truck
A suspect contractor will not have an office. He might have a cell phone number. He may not have a working phone number, at all. He does not want anyone to contact him, to know his whereabouts. It is possible that local law enforcement is looking for him.
Very low quote
Shady characters will often offer a very low quote for work. There is a very good reason for this. You get what you pay for. Always be suspicious if you receive a very low quote.
Down payment
If anyone asks you for the money upfront, this is a bad sign. Reputable contractors do not conduct business this way. If someone cannot afford to buy materials, there is something wrong. A con man will make excuses for needing the money. Perhaps he has very low overhead. Actually he wants the money now, so he can disappear.
Cash payment only
Does he insist on a cash payment for the work? Con men always work for cash. It cannot be traced. He does not own a bank account, to cash checks. You will not see the money or the con man again, if you give him cash. A reputable contractor will accept other forms of payment.
Final thoughts
Someone may come to your door with an offer to fix something. He will do the work very cheap. He may want payment in cash, before he begins. He probably does not have business cards or an office. This is some of the tell tale signs of a cowboy builder.
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