YOUR NOT ALONE

When you are not sure who you are dealing with, keep in mind some of these sure signs of UN
professionalism:

Quick deals for cash
Its clear there is no taxes being paid from this business. There is no proof the work was done, or proof
who did the work, and no guarantee. If something goes wrong you have no legal recourses.
Professionals do not do business in this manner.
Word-of-mouth sales
“We will give you a great deal if you tell people about our services, Allow us to put up a sign in front of
your house.”
This is a marketing scam. If you get at least 3 estimates you will find out you got no great deal for these
services. And in most cases you end up paying more.
Sorry I forgot my business card, I will write it down on a piece of paper
Professionals present themselves with a business card containing their phone number and address
where they conduct business. Be careful if they have a PO Box as a address. Small businesses
sometimes use there home addresses. That’s OK , self employed businesses work from home offices.
The most important is to have a location address ,just in case something goes wrong. If they cant
supply information about there business, they might be a transient, people who work a area then
disappear.
A quick estimate on a large Job
while acting like taking notes, Blurts out “$2,000 should cover it ”
When giving estimates to a large job a professional does not blurt out quick estimates. A professional
will take all the information and give you a written estimate. Exception being a small simple job that has
a standard price rate. A professional will always take his time to check and double check the requested job,
then provide a break down of parts, labor and cost in a written Proposal.
Puts pressure on you to sign
“Prices are changing as of tomorrow” this is used to stop you from shopping around for a better price.
Professionals offer estimates that are good for a fare amount of time. Usually a 30 day time period. They
understand you need time to think about making your choices, and encourage other estimates.
Ask for the money up front
“We need the money for all the materials right now this is a big job, you understand?”
Caution, many people pay and never see there money again. Only pay when a contract is signed and its
a larger job and you have all the proper information about the business, and then you should only pay
(approx) 30% of the total payment do.
Refuses to give referrals
“We don’t give out our customers personal information, you wouldn’t want us to give yours, would you?”
Caution: Professionals like to give referrals, they always receive permission with past customers ahead
of time, it helps them establish a good reputation.
In the Area
we just did the house down the street and we have some material left, we can give you a great deal
because we are here today. Professionals do not over buy much material and would not walk down the
street to offer the left over to a neighbor.
It can be a legitimate professional; you can then talk to your neighbor to check out there work, and then make future plans to have the work done.
It may not be a good idea to just accept that very moment.
Scare Tactics
“Your front porch roof looks like its about to cave in. If some one comes up on the porch to ring your
doorbell and it falls on there head you are going to have one serious lawsuit.”
If a Contractor tries to scare you in any way. Avoid them. Even if the repair might be a important issue.
A trusted business will not use any kind of scare pressure to get your business. At most the business
might simply point out the possible outcome if the repair wasn’t soon resolved.
Example:
“It might be a good idea to repair your porch roof, to avoid any roof leaks within the next year” Is how a
professional will communicate with a customer.
“Your porch is about to cave in “Is a scare tactic.
Refuse to Guarantee the work in writing
“If you have any problems just call me, trust me, I promise.”
Professionals supply you with written guarantees that explain the coverage and time period.
Please always use common sense when listening to all service professionals. If it sounds to good to
be true, follow your instincts, it probably is…..