Acadiana Better Business Bureau: Beware of fly-by-night contractors
Experts say often times in the wake of natural disasters, scammers see that as an opportunity.
Was your property damaged by Hurricane Barry?
Before you hire a contractor, make sure the company won’t take your money and run.
Quick action can minimize disastrous effects on businesses and homes.
According to FEMA, just one inch of water in a home can cause more than $25,000 in damage.
Chris Babin, with the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana, said, “After the weather passes, we want to make sure we’re thinking intellectually and not emotionally. It’s upsetting when your property gets damaged.”
Experts say often times in the wake of natural disasters, scammers see that as an opportunity.
“Scammers show up door-to-door saying they have some leftover materials, might just show up at your house saying they fixed your neighbors house. They have leftover materials that they can give you a discount on fixing something there,” added Babin.
Scammers will pop up locally saying they can perform contractor work that they’re not licensed for.
Babin said, “Unethical businesses out looking to get money will encourage you to pay some money upfront or just use haste and emotion trying to get you to engage in something soon, and then the project either never happens or just happens very slowly.”
News Ten asked, “Is it normal or common for a regular person to just claim that they can be a contractor and work for you upfront?
“That is a lot of times what you’ll see that the amount of consumers that
are being effected by a particular storm scammers see that as an opportunity
and a lot of scammers or ethical businesses will pop up in the area saying that
they can perform and do these types of projects and work for you that they’re
either not licensed for have no experience in and they’re just offering that
because they know there’s a big need for it,” said
According to the Better Business Bureau, here are suggestions you should know when it comes to hiring a contractor:
- Research their track record.
- Ask for multiple quotes.
- Get it in writing
- Verify their license and insurance.
If you have a scam that needs investigating, email smasters@klfy.com