Why Homeowners Should Research Their Contractor Before Hiring Them
Below are a few paragraphs of an news release from the Ohio Attorney General of Ohio’s web site about them filing lawsuits against Northeast Ohio Contractors for failure to deliver and performing shoddy work. We Thought this would be good information to share with our clients. Below is also a link to the full article.
Attorney General DeWine Announces Lawsuits Against Northeast Ohio Contractors
11/14/2013
(ELYRIA, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced lawsuits against two Northeast Ohio home improvement contractors. The lawsuits accuse Mark Walker of Avon, and his business, All American Restoration, and Wayne Given of Silver Lake, doing business as Basement Waterproofing Solutions, of failure to deliver and performing shoddy work.
“When consumers pay thousands of dollars for home improvement services they never receive as promised, there’s a problem,” Attorney General DeWine said. “We are committed to enforcing Ohio’s consumer protection laws and holding violators accountable.”
Consumers should take the following steps to protect themselves in a home improvement transaction:
- Get at least three written estimates from different contractors before selecting a contractor.
- Ask the contractor to provide references of past customers, and check the references.
- Make sure the contractor has the proper permits to perform the work.
- Ask the contractor to show proof of licenses, insurance, and bonding. State law does not require home improvement contractors to be licensed, but many Ohio cities do.
- Check with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau to determine if complaints are on file against the company.
- Get everything in writing, including any verbal promises.
- Do not provide full payment up front. Pay when work is finished or for portions of work as they are completed, for example, one-third in the beginning, one-third in the middle, and the final third upon satisfactory completion.
Click here for the full article.