Just like people, one may come across good and bad contractors. For an individual with little knowledge about construction, it may be difficult to ascertain if they are being cheated by their contractor.
However, more clarity can be achieved if one knows about the common tricks used by contractors to cheat or fleece their clients. To understand how to avoid getting cheated by your contractors, let us take a look at some common ways that contractors use to cheat people.
Advance payment scam - It is normal for contractors to ask for an advance for material payments. Nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when the contractor has no intention to complete the work. They may give excuses such as material supplies are not available or they are having labor or personal issues.
In some cases, the contractor may entirely stop responding to your calls. To avoid such a situation, you need to choose a contractor who has a proper office address and verifiable work history in the local area.
Using cheap materials - Whatever that is you are building, you will want it to last a long time. This will be possible if quality materials are used in the construction. A good contractor will ensure that the best quality materials are used. But if you hire a cheating contractor, they may use cheaper quality materials. And that too without your knowledge.
Unless you have familiarity with construction materials, it would be difficult to determine the quality of materials used. You can probably ask one of your friends or colleagues who has construction knowledge to assess the quality of materials being used.
Quoting higher estimate after initial work - To ensure you agree to the deal, a bad contractor will initially quote a low price for the job. But after things have been demolished and dug up, they will suddenly increase the price of the job. The common explanation is that the problem is more complex than it seemed initially.
While such situations can be true also, it is important for the contractor to tell you in advance about potential increases in costs. Before agreeing to the deal, make sure you ask your contractor to explain all potential cost escalations. This will help keep away bad contractors.
Slow-moving jobs - If a day's work extends into several weeks, it is likely that you are dealing with a bad contractor. They may make various excuses to justify the delay in work. This happens when the contractor is juggling multiple projects all at once.
As a result, they may be focusing all their energy and resources on more profitable jobs. While ignoring your project altogether. Before agreeing to the deal, ask for discounts in case of work delays. This will help keep away bad contractors.
As is evident, there are various ways in which one can be cheated by a contractor. But with the tips and recommendations provided above, one can easily avoid bad contractors.
.jpg)
