March 27, 2012 – Roanoke, VA – Better Business Bureau is warning local residents affected by the recent storms to beware of storm chasers and out-of-town contractors soliciting business.
It is not uncommon for out-of-town storm chasers to solicit business after storms like the ones we had this past weekend. Storm chasers may not have proper licensure and may offer quick fixes or make big promises to which they won’t deliver.
BBB offers the following tips for storm victims:
- Check to see that your contractor is properly licensed and is registered with Virginia DPOR, 804-367-8500.
- Many municipalities require a solicitation permit if sales people go do-to-door. Verify that they have to have a permit by contacting your local Township or Municipality. BBB suggests consumers be pro-active in selecting a contractor and not re-active to sales calls on the phone or door-to-door sales pitches.
- While most roofing contractors abide by the law, be careful allowing someone you do not know inspect your roof. An unethical contractor may actually create damage to get work.
- Try to get at least 3-4 quotes from contractors, and insist that payments be made to the company, not an individual.
- Do not pay for the job in advance. Be wary of any contractor who demands full or half payment upfront.
- Resist high-pressure sales tactics such as the “good deal” you’ll get only if you hire the contractor on the spot.
- Get a written contract that specifies the price, the work to be done, the amount of liability insurance coverage maintained by the contractor, and a time frame. Require a copy of their current certificate of insurance.
- Pay by credit card, if possible; you may have additional protection if there’s a problem.
- Check that the contractor’s vehicle has signs or markings on it with the business name, phone number and has your state’s license plates.
BBB is seeing out of state contractors setting up shop in the area trying to capture construction work caused by the storms. BBB is warning the area contractors to beware of storm chasers who are willing to pay local construction companies substantial amounts of money to use a local company’s established name, reputation and phone so they can masquerade as a local business.
We have seen this happen in other areas of the country. After doing repairs paid by insurance companies, the out-of-state contractors left the area. Many contractors who agreed to let these storm chasers use their name regret their decision once they were left holding the bag of unsatisfied customers due to bad workmanship and/or unfulfilled warranties.
If you need more information, contact the BBB at (540) 342-3455 or (800) 533-5501. You can also visit www.bbb.org. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/BBB_WesternVA.
