Contractor Scam (Birmingham: sales, insurance, homes)

[Threestep]

Keeper - this is not personal. Should you decide to delete the thread please do so.

Moderator cut: send a DM if you want the name - clean shaven, very small in statue, well dressed, nice pickup truck, extremeley well spoken. Will give a long story about his love for soccer, his two kids in Birmingham and the illegal mother and in-laws.
He runs a small laborer group with limited language skills, leaves them on a job site with no water/food/communication.

He was working for a larger contractor and went out on his own using some old contacts. The initial jobs are good, then ok, then disasters. He will underbid and ask for money for materials. Prime target - retired seniors with small garden homes who are physically not able to perform minor remodel jobs or single elderly folks. Several people are left with half done jobs, simply out of their materials money or find themselves with destruction of property.

[Keeper]

I urge anyone who is considering remodeling to contact Threestep via DM for the name of this person. You should also consult the BBB. Due to liability concerns I had to remove it

This type of scam happens a lot in FL. They are grifters, have extra asphalt to do your driveway, roofers and other contracting jobs.

[Threestep]

Thank you Keeper. I will gladly share via pm what I personally know. PLEASE - get copies of insurance policies, contractor and business licences and if necessary buy materials yourselves. You feel uncomfortable asking for something - think of folks in their 80s out of 2k and more.

To stay within forum guidelines - according to his verbal statement US citizen but absolutely bilingual..

[Back Again]

Also remember ~ If the deal is too good to be true, watch out!

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by Back Again

Also remember ~ If the deal is too good to be true, watch out!

Not always. US wide well established company - our 1/2 to 1 day custom closet installation is on week two with no end in sight:>))) I feel like I am living in a dorm with lots of plastic boxes.

[cpg35223]

My father was an architect, and here were his ironclad rules about hiring a contractor of any kind.

First, if they can't supply references, don't ever hire that contractor.

Second, if they don't have a business license and can't prove that they're bonded, don't hire that contractor.

Third, if they want you to front the money for materials, go with them and buy them yourself and have them delivered to your house.

Fourth, give a contractor, painter, roofer, carpenter, electrician or anybody else money up front. You'll never see them again.

Fifth, if they quote the Bible, refer to their work in the church, or have a fish symbol on their truck, business card, or estimate, run or bend over and prepare to take it where the sun don't shine. Because a person who unscrupulous enough to use his faith to gain leverage in a business deal is unscrupulous enough to put the wood to you.

[Threestep]

CPG - Tell an 80something year old who just gotten suckered:>)

Nothing personal, all of us know or should know how to hire a contractor. I do not consider myself stupid, relied on references, ....... - final payment upon satisfactory installation.

[harry chickpea]

Great guidelines CPG. Especially that one about religion. They use "faith" to gain unwarranted trust, especially of the gullible. I wonder how many of these people learned their "faith" in prison as a tool to get good behavior points. I've seen it so many times. Almost invariably it will be a male from about 22 to 45, and they'll try to leverage it in whatever manner they can.

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Threestep

CPG - Tell an 80something year old who just gotten suckered:>)

Nothing personal, all of us know or should know how to hire a contractor. I do not consider myself stupid, relied on references, ....... - final payment upon satisfactory installation.

Hey, I know otherwise smart 40 year olds who got ripped off.

[Threestep]

For y'all - us wide chain, great references, custom closet installation was said to take one day max. One day max has turned into week three:>) Amongst other things - installer apparently checked bathroom drawers, constantly told me that everything is the factory's fault from busted drawer backs to shelving splitting (after being forced into position) to uneven spacing between drawers (1/2 inch!) and sideways. He actually got physically between me and the sales manager when I pointed out issues.