Re: Hiring a contractor - asking for references


"Scott McDaniel" <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:K7WdnX6i78QzqJjeRVn-hQ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> But ... any references you get would come from the contractor, and you can
> BET they're not gonna give you the job where they were 3 weeks late and
laid
> the wrong color shingles ... so you're gonna get a rosy red picture from
> every one of them, and you'll be no further along than when you started.
>
> You're doing the right thing in getting multiple bids. Unless this is an
> emergency, take your time and do some follow up. Use the internet to do
some
> searches on the companies (if they're small local outfits you probably
won't
> find much), and ask around to friends, relatives, co-workers etc for
> recommendations or horror stories. Those are your best sources of
> information. Ask to see jobs they've done - again, you'll probably get
their
> best ones, but you can at least look at craftsmanship and such.
>
> --
> Scott McDaniel
> InfoTrakker Software

Also make sure their contractor's license is valid and current. I've
recently had contractors give me bids only to find out their license had
expired months earlier. One guy gave us some ranch fresh eggs and offered
to give my daughters free riding lessons. Nice, but I still won't hire him.

If they don't offer references I would probably stop talking to them unless
someone you know and trust recommended them. And as it's already been said
they are not going to give you any BAD references so that kind of makes it a
moot point whether or not to call any of them.


>
> "Dan_Musicant" <man@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:l0bag1p2i5vkc9dtr06kp4tl5b0as31h7o@xxxxxxxxxx
> > I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
> > been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
> > video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
> > point that you should always get references and check them out. They
> > also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
> > There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
> > BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
> > specific contractors.
> >
> > Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
> > reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
> > Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
> > was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
> > looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
> > he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
> > find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
> > nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
> > the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.
> >
> > I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
> > people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
> > just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
> > Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
> > estimator comes out and ask then?
> >
> > Thanks for any guidance.
> >
> > Dan
> >
> >
>
>


.

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