Always check the credentials of any service provider who will work on or enter your home. Here’s a checklist:
- Suspect contractors who come to your door unsolicited. Reputable contractors usually do not have to solicit business that way. If you need a contractor, initiate the relationship yourself.
- Door-to-door scam artists typically offer these services: pave or seal your driveway; fix your roof; paint your house; apply “sealers” to asphalt, roofs, walls or concrete.
- Handymen who travel with their “families” and make unsolicited offers could be members of organized groups of home-repair contractors who scam customers. (They’re called “travelers” or “gypsy contractors,” and they typically hit Arizona in the winter when the weather is milder here than elsewhere around the country.)
- Turn away anyone who shows up with an offer to do a big job for little money, saying he’s doing the same task for one of your neighbors or has leftover material. It’s the most common scam.
- If someone pressures you into starting the job immediately, decline the offer. A reputable contractor will let you think about it, and will offer you three days after signing a contract to change your mind.
- Never make a deposit of more than 10 percent of the cost of the job.
- Someone who asks you to pay cash and won’t accept a check or a credit card payment is not on the level. Never pay cash. Paying by check gives you a record of the payment. If you pay by credit card and later have to dispute the charge, the creditor will help you.
- Beware of out-of-state license plates. Once the “traveler” has your deposit, you’ll never see him again!
- Legitimate contractors rarely have to ask you to pay for materials up front. They should supply the materials and include that expense on your final invoice. Don’t hand cash to a contractor who says he’s going to spend it on materials for your job.
- Anyone with an Arizona contractor’s license is required to display the license number on letterhead, invoices, business cards and even his truck if his company’s name also appears on those items.
- Don’t agree to pay for a contractor to get his license. Require him to get the necessary credentials before you will do business with him.
