We’ve warned you before: some contractors use big weather events to try and rip people off. You have to be careful. KPRC 2 Investigator Bill Spencer has what you need to know before hiring a contractor.
When it comes to contractors one of the most common complaint we hear about is when a contractor gets your money and takes off without doing the work.
But you might need to give them some money up front. Carolina Petriciolet with the Better Business Bureau says you should follow the rule of thirds.
“In the beginning you get quoted a price to start the job. You pay a third of what you’re quoted and then towards the middle. Once jobs started and you that’s progress. Then you pay your other third. And then once you’ve hit the end of the job, right, you want to pay the remaining amount. And once you have inspected and made sure that everything is up to par and that to your liking and everything is done well, then you pay the remaining of what you owe,” said Carolina Petriciolet, Better Business Bureau Houston.
If one of these contractors is asking for, say, a 50% down payment, what should we say to them?
“It’s a huge red flag when you’re paying 50% of a job that hasn’t even begun. You don’t know what materials are using. You haven’t even seen the first part of the job and how it’s being done. Or, you know, you can’t base it off of anything other than just trusting that they’re going to do a job well done and you’re already going to pay 50% of it.”
Petriciolet advises to pay with a credit card so you can dispute it if something goes wrong. You can’t dispute cash or a bank if the job is not done well.
- You should also get a written contract agreement with anyone you hire.
- This should include the work done, materials to be used and the price breakdown.
- Be sure their name, address, phone number and start and end date for the work is included.
Investigator Amy Davis recently spelled out 13 things you should ask before hiring a roofer.
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