avoiding fraudulent concrete repair

Avoiding Fraudulent Concrete Repair Schemes

As unfortunate as it is, the world of home repairs and services contains a great number of scammers and unscrupulous actors. There are a number of people out there who try to exploit home and business owners alike when it comes to services such people are unable to do on their own, and this even includes the world of concrete lifting and leveling.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we highly encourage all prospective clients to compare our high-quality residential and commercial concrete lifting and leveling services with our competitors – this is what any smart home or business owner should do before hiring any contractor, and we’re confident our quality and affordability will stack up to anyone in the industry. But we also want to ensure you don’t get roped in by someone running a fraudulent concrete scheme. Here are some tips to avoid this.

No Instant Commitment

One of the most common tactics these kinds of dishonest individuals or companies will attempt is getting you to commit right away. This is most common during home visits where they knock directly on your door, but may also be done over the phone or even online.

Generally, the scammer will have at least one highly compelling reason why you should commit right away. They’ll say they have a limited-time special going on, for instance, or perhaps will even drive by your home with you outside and suddenly “notice” you there, claiming they have some extra concrete and they’ll pour it for a discounted rate. Don’t fall for these offers, and instead offer to confirm some basic details first.

Demand Written Estimate

One such detail that all reputable concrete contractors should be able to provide is a written estimate of services. At Lift-Up Concrete, we provide these estimates on a complimentary basis to all prospective clients.

If a contractor cannot do so, you should be wondering why. These services are not complex, and should be easy to lay out on a basic work order that details the expected costs for the area being serviced.

Referrals

A good contractor should have plenty of successful jobs on their history, and they should be able to refer you to multiple happy clients from the past. It’s also good to use contractors who have been specifically referred to you by people you trust.

Online Reviews

For an even more objective look at how people have felt about a given contractor’s services in the past, read their online reviews to get an idea. You don’t have to eliminate a contractor just based on one or two bad reviews, of course, but a consistent theme of low scores – or worse yet, a total lack of such reviews available online – could be a red flag.

For more on avoiding fraudulent concrete contractors, or to learn about any of our concrete raising services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.