Check up on your contractor before starting a home improvement project
Making home improvements can be costly, so you want to make sure you're hiring the right person to do it.. We've received a number of calls lately from viewers who say they paid for home improvement projects that never got done.
The biggest tip we give people when choosing a contractor is get referrals. As Marilyn McCarty learned however, referrals alone are not always enough.
Based on a neighbor's recommendation, McCarty's 80-year-old mother hired contractor Brad Ore of Branson to do some landscaping and other odd jobs around their condominium.
“She thought it would be a nice surprise,” said McCarty.
According to contractor invoices, receipts and cancelled checks, Marilyn's mother paid Ore more than $4,500 for labor and $800 for supplies.
“So, the total she paid for the work was $5,386," said McCarty.
The projects were never fully completed.
“He did such a small portion of the actual work,” she said.
McCarty says, despite promises that he would finish, Ore stopped coming back in June.
“I believe it was June 22 that he pulled weeds; then he left and never came back,” she said.
A reporter talked to Ore. He admitted he didn't complete the project but wouldn't explain why. He did agree, however, to pay McCarty whatever it would cost to have someone else complete the job, as long as she got a few estimates. She did so but Ore has yet to agree to pay a contractor to complete the job, which is estimated to cost up to $2,000. He stopped returning a reporter's calls as well.
“She's 80 years old, lives on $500 a month and drives a 16-year-old car. She can't afford to lose this kind of money and I can't afford to correct it," said McCarty.
The worst part, she says, is a simple Internet search might have saved her the frustration.
“A single computer check showed a criminal background that goes back to 1995 in Branson alone.”
Among the convictions are stealing by deceit, theft and burglary. Those are convictions that, had she known about them, would have kept Marilyn's mother from hiring him in the first place.
“It's frustrating, heartbreaking, it destroys your trust.”
McCarty learned the hard way but you don't have to do that. In addition to getting referrals, check case.net for possible lawsuits and verify there haven't been complaints filed with the Attorney General and Better Business Bureau. Ask for proof that the contractor is bonded and insured and get copies. Don't pay the full amount until the job is complete and check to see if the contractor is part of your local home builders association. The group has stringent requirements for members to try to prevent consumers from getting ripped off.
http://www.ky3.com/news/local/Check-up-on-your-contractor-before-starting-a-home-improvement-project-100090579.html