Something I long suspected: BBB is sure Business- but not Better- Bureau

[crone]

Originally Posted by behtypa

I did not use Angies myself. But my friend has commented that out of 5 times 3 contractors were not as good as they were advertised. So he is not sure what he is paying for? He could get just the same luck with contractors if he screened them himself.

I did get one guy who was a dud. His reviews sounded great. After I ran him off, I responded to Angie's list the reviews must have been written by his wife and mother.
You may be correct. It is a pretty expensive place to vent.

[Topaz]

I canceled my subscription to Angie's List after I realized that you can't comment anonymously. Many people (especially women) aren't going to say anything too negative if some scary contractor dude is going to know exactly what you said and who you are. This will result in reviews being skewed toward the positive. Not helpful.

[ohmanon]

I don't know who to trust re contractors, home improvement, etc. anymore. Certainly not BBB, and not Angie's list. Used someone a neighbor recommended when the ceiling in my mom's house caved in last summer due to the a/c pan overflowing - tried to charge her $300+ to add a bleach tablet to the system and this was separate from the repair to the ceiling itself. He lived in the area so no travel expenses incurred.

I'm now learning some of the lingo these guys use:
Scam: "I do a lot of work in the area for the elderly."
Translation: "I like new trucks, I've only got 2 and want a 3rd and I've got several kids with different women to support. Use me and I will guarantee to rip you off for at least 3 month's of your social security income."

Scam: "Here, you pick out the paint and I'll buy it. I can get you a real good painter's discount."
Translation: "You can choose your paint with a lifetime warranty (which we did along with expensive insect and mold retardants) and I will buy the cheapest $15.95/gallon and charge you $57.00/gal for it. You'll never know the difference because I will put my cheap paint in the expensive can and unless you're wily, you'll be none the wiser." Unfortunately, I became suspicious and with the help of the manager of Sherwin Williams, was able to catch him in the act. $3,000 later, I have had to repaint the $&"!#@* house myself but still couldn't do anything to the scum who ripped her off.

No recourse for the unscrupulous lowlifes who do these things, unless you want to live in fear that they might return and torch your house. There's some really frightening contractors out there and I've also read (maybe on this forum) that they can create different accounts and write their own glowing reviews on Angie's List.

For anyone who might think it's the homeowner's fault and she didn't do her research, in an emergency situation you sometimes don't have the luxury of time. Also have to make exceptions for the generations - some grew up in an era where honesty usually prevailed.

[texas7]

I'm sad to hear about BBB - my brother has a business (a good business) and he joined because they were part of a recognized organization. He has worked very hard to maintain good customer relations and believes he earned his A+ rating with customer satisfaction, etc. So just because some unscrupulous businesses have "bought" their ratings doesn't mean that everyone who is a member has not earned their ratings. I think anyone you use in your home, you have to go by personal experience and referral. They do have an award of excellence for certain businesses and it isn't bought. Owners have to show proof of why they deserve it along with community service. So perhaps if using one, then look for ones that have received the award of excellence.

[piyf]

^So how does one know who is actually a legit one and not one that paid for the rating?

[behtypa]

Originally Posted by ohmanon

I don't know who to trust re contractors, home improvement, etc. anymore. Certainly not BBB, and not Angie's list.

My approach to the issue is this:

- learn the subject before hiring anyone. Learn how roof is made, how this business works. Learn why VOC (or sherwin-williams) paint is better than regular (or Walmart brand). How the concrete is laid, how flooring is installed. it takes time, but then you will know when you are being fooled.

- learn the prices for each type of work. Know where you would pay more and where you can save. Say, I would not save on shingles and installed 30-year. However I would not go with a lifetime shingles, because they are not cost effective.

- learn what you can do yourself, if your time and health condition allows you to.

- learn if you can hire a street labor yourself and supervise them yourself. And not to pay for a middle-man to do the same.

It takes time to learn these things. But hey, you want to save money, right?

[texas7]

Originally Posted by danieloneil01

^So how does one know who is actually a legit one and not one that paid for the rating?

They all pay a membership to join and be a member but my brother wasn't promised a good rating for joining and he had to earn his A+ by being responsive to customers and resolving any complaints should they arise to satisfaction of the customer. He also works hard annually to earn and keep his award of excellence. Not everyone gets those either - I know of a local construction company that had earned them for 2 or 3 years and then had too many unresolved complaints one year and lost out on earning an award. Weird thing about that construction company is that they do great work but they are very expensive and the owner has gotten full of himself about how great he is and customers don't like that.

As far as telling who earned that rating and who didn't -- I don't know unless you just go with your own judgement and referrals of friends.

[elnina]

I had a good experience with Service Magic. Will use them again

[Houston_2010]

When I moved to Houston in 2007 the cleaning co we hired to do a thorough cleaning of the house overcharged my credit card and every time I would call they would acknowledge the error and say that it will appear in my next month's statement. After 3 months of calling, I submitted a complaint to BBB. The cleaning company wasn't even a member, but somehow they received a letter of what happened and immediately refunded my money.

I would be cautious about choosing people off the phone book, etc. I try to reach out to a neighbor that may know someone that they have worked with them before (word of mouth is always good).

[nana053]

We are fortunate here to have a local yahoo group for our homeowners association and people often recommend businesses. We ask on the group if we are going to have work done and generally get responses quickly from neighbors who have used the type of business we are looking for. People also post negative reviews and tell people to stay away from certain businesses. Today we have a bunch of posts about an car repair place saying they were slow, had poor service and overcharged and many people agreed and suggested other places to go.