Four fall rip-offs: Beware the scams of Autumn
Filed under: Bargains, Home, Ripoffs and Scams
With winter on the way, it's a good time to check your home's exterior and prepare for a secure season indoors. Unfortunately, it's also a season when wily construction con artists come out of the woodwork to play into your deepest, darkest fears with tales of damaging doom that can cost you a bundle.
Hearing you have a faulty roof over your head, or experiencing a flooded basement that might cause toxic mold to grow wildly in your house can indeed be a big worry, but beware of the source. High-pressure, high-panic pitches that evolve from unsolicited calls or scheduled visits by service people all have the same target: your wallet.
Here are four fall rip-offs to watch out for:
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Roofing Rip-offs: Roof leaks seldom require complete roof replacement. Despite this, roofers hired to fix the roof too often use the opportunity to turn a minor repair into a major replacement project. Real pros will provide a thorough assessment of repair needs, an appropriate recommendation for work to be done, and a detailed estimate for your review and approval.
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Chimney Sweep Scams: Between the limited equipment needed to do the job and the very real dangers of chimney neglect, it's unfortunately pretty easy for unscrupulous chimney-cleaning contractors to stay in business. They'll typically launch into the standard, reasonably priced annual inspection and cleaning and then "discover" that your chimney desperately needs a new liner or other major safety fix, projects that end up lining their own pockets with thousands of dollars. To avoid these panic peddlers, start out by hiring a highly recommended, experienced sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). If you cross paths with one who isn't, forgo any recommended repairs until an unbiased expert such as a professional home inspector can make their own assessment.
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Slippery Driveway Sealers: Another area wrought with fraud is the old driveway sealing scam. Spotting your worn driveway, contractors show up unannounced making the pitch for the job, usually because they were "in the neighborhood" and "had extra material left over from a job." Of course this entitles you to a great price – if you act right now! Send these sleaze balls back down the same street they came on. The sealer they are selling usually isn't -- and can leave your driveway a greasy, oily mess.
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Beware Basement Waterproofers: The fall is a fantastic time for so-called basement waterproofers to show up with high-pressure pitches that promise to make your floods go away. What they don't tell you is that basement floods are almost always caused by clogged gutters and grading that runs rainwater in toward the house. Fixing a wet basement is simple and almost never requires the several thousand dollars of digging and pumps they'd love to install.
Tom Kraeutler is the Home Improvement Editor for AOL and co-author of My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure. He delivers expert home improvement tips each week as host of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated home improvement radio program.
Building Houses, Building Communities
NEWARK, OH - NOVEMBER 3: A volunteer operates a seeding machine outside a nearly-finished Habitat for Humanity home and garage November 3, 2008 in Newark, Ohio. Licking County, in eastern Ohio, like many Ohio counties, is dealing with a steady eroding of old-style manufacturing jobs, and some parts of the city became blighted as jobs left. Habitat for Humanity and other organizations are attempting to revitalize old houses to bring back neighborhoods, one house at a time. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
Getty Images
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger receives the Family Visionary Award at the Building a Greater Los Angeles Gala to Benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Amy Graves/WireImage.com
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver receive the Family Visionary Award at the Building a Greater Los Angeles Gala to Benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Amy Graves/WireImage.com
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver receive the Family Visionary Award at the Building a Greater Los Angeles Gala to Benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Amy Graves/WireImage.com
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver receive the Family Visionary Award at the Building a Greater Los Angeles Gala to Benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Amy Graves/WireImage.com
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver receive the Family Visionary Award at the Building a Greater Los Angeles Gala to Benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Amy Graves/WireImage.com
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at "Building A Greater Los Angeles" Gala to benefit Habitat for Humanity at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 30, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
John Shearer/WireImage.com
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at "Building A Greater Los Angeles" Gala to benefit Habitat for Humanity at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 30, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
John Shearer/WireImage.com
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at "Building A Greater Los Angeles" Gala to benefit Habitat for Humanity at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 30, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
John Shearer/WireImage.com
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at "Building A Greater Los Angeles" Gala to benefit Habitat for Humanity at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 30, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.
John Shearer/WireImage.com
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-08-2008 @ 11:41PM
bobbie said...
watch out for empire today. they are rip-offs!!! certainly not next day service. it took 2 weeks from the day off signing contract for them to start bathroom. (the salesman lied and offered services that they dont do to make the sale)off course you dont find out they wont do the things you were promised until after the contract is signed and your stuck!!!,and when they finally showed up half the materials were damaged. so i was told it would take a week for replacement materials. they left without putting sink back in,after taking it out.they remove but do not put back! make sense? when we put sink back on we find they have broken 2 pipes. so after paying them a ridiculous amount for a job we were conned into, now we had to pay a plumber to fix something they broke. thay wont pay its our word against theres, even though pipes were fine before they removed sink.(now we know why they left it unhooked). its now 6 wks later and job is still not done.and the work that is done is a mess. my 10 yr. old could have done a neater job.
stay away from empire!!!! at least the bathroom dept.
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11-09-2008 @ 12:43AM
Lissy said...
Maybe you should read before signing a contract. Then you may have noticed that they weren't going to do what the salesman promised. Don't put full blame on Empire for that one. This is one of the things that got us in this housing crisis in the first place was people not reading what they sign. Don't let someone fool you! Once you put your name on paper, there's no way to get out of it just cause you didn't feel that you needed to read it.
11-08-2008 @ 11:36PM
Texas Granny said...
Drive way sealers are Big Ripoff! Locally they are called gypsy's, also known as Travelers. They travel all over the country ripping people off. They put what is called a cold mix of asphalt. The stuff will not hold up. These theives can never be found after a job. They have also been known to rob home owners while doing a job. If any of these theives come to your door don't bother talking to them. Report them to the police.
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11-10-2008 @ 7:02AM
joncdodge said...
Word of mouth is best served here..you just can't trust people like you use to. Here is a good add-on story...
5 Retarded Get-Rich Quick Scams (People Still Fall For)
http://www.curiousread.com/2008/10/5-retarded-get-rich-quick-scams-people.html
Jon
11-10-2008 @ 10:01PM
the blob said...
Amazing, you use the word gypsy just like "HITLER" did.
that is the most idiotic thing i've ever heard, to judge all gypsies because you got scammed.You probably voted 4-years ago for a white guy that took us all to the poor house and i dont see a comment like all white people are out to take you.Basically what i'm tryin to say is people and comments like that are very one track minded.I dont think out there in the great state of Texas you would call all black people the "N" word if one was to rob your house, maybe im not wording my feelings well,because as i write this im so frustrated,you are basically super prejudice.
can you say KKK.
11-09-2008 @ 1:10AM
onememphisdude said...
Dear Readers:
As a Home Improvement Professional, I hear past horror stories regularly. Most problems are easily preventable:
1) Never pay up front for any repairs. No Deposit is a great incentive to insure completion of the job. If a contractor does not have credit with material suppliers...this should be wave a red-flag.
2) Never try to act as your own General contractor. Now is not the time for the third lowest bidder. If you really knew how to repair your problem, you would be a contractor.
3) To Bobbie: You were not "conned into the job". Unless you are mentally incompetent, or underage, you legally signed a valid contract. The fact that you did not receive satisfaction could have been prevented. Accept at least half the responsibility for your poor job and learn from the experience.(See #1 above.)
4) When signing a contract, require the salesman to put all promises in writing and on the contract. If he refuses...refuse to continue negotiations.
5) Please remember that when you call a company to your home for an estimate...that it is the salesmans' job to gain your business, not to simply deliver a "free" estimate. If you do not understand this fact, please purchase your repair products at Wal-Mart and try to do the job yourself. A professional will be courteous and helpful, but will not allow you to waste his time.
6) Ask the procedures for problem resolution...up front, before signing the contract. Ask: Whom will I contact to solve any problems? What are the steps the company will take to resolve issues? When can I reasonably expect completion of my job? If these questions are not answered to your satisfaction...do business elsewhere.
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11-10-2008 @ 9:35AM
Kay said...
You are right! I can't imagine getting hooked up with a con artist. Thank you.
11-11-2008 @ 2:42PM
Competent Amateur said...
Thank you for a very sane and well-presented analysis. I am fortunate that I have the skill and training to handle most household-related repairs and restorations, myself. Too many others, however, can fall prey to smooth-talking con artists. To those, I can only repeat the conventional wisdom that if it ("it" being anything from a promise to a lowball "free" estimate) seems to good to be true, it is.
11-09-2008 @ 2:26AM
Rollando said...
Most often the scammers make the original problem worse. Or the repairs last for a very limited thus requiring a repeat of the job within in a short time frame. Zapping your wallet twice. Happened to me twice before I decided to do the job myself. If only I was not so arrogant to be inconvenienced to do it myself in the first place, I would not have been scammed. Ah, hindsight is always 20/20.
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11-09-2008 @ 4:00AM
Jennifer said...
This is all you need to know about home improvements
www.servicemagic.com
Trust me on this one
Jen
:-)
Reply
11-10-2008 @ 8:39AM
Mark said...
Service Magic, my eye. Used one of their highest rated painters for the exterior of my house. This "professional" allowed us to choose colors without sample sections being painted on the side of the house (which I NOW know is an industry standard). As I was out of town, he painted the entire house friggin Grinch Green and couldn't believe when I was displeased. Long story short, he ended up charging me an additional $500.00 to change the color from the sample patches that I insisted upon. To top it all off, he charged us "a little extra" for top-of-the-line, life-time guaranteed porch paint, but the moron didn't prep the porch floor correctly and it failed miserably within 6 months. Tried to contact him.....his number was no longer listed, couldn't find another listing for him, and the paint maker will not honor the guarantee because of his negligence in preparation. Service Magic, when called to complain, was gracious enough to take him off their list. Wow, thanks! Let's see....$4,000 for Grinch Green, $500 for a reasonable color, $250 for the porch floor, and another $500 for the porch floor sanding and re-paint -- a total of $5250 for an estimate of $4000. Service Magic is NOT always a good representative of their recommended contractors.
11-11-2008 @ 2:13PM
Sharon said...
Service Magic will list any contractor who is willing to pay for a referral. They don't know the quality of the work they refer, they just look at the paycheck they are going to get. When you ask for bids on something they then forward it to a few different contractors. Each contractors then has to pay for that referral whether they get the job or not. Service Magic is a scam artist for contractors.
11-09-2008 @ 7:04AM
Jack Barbour said...
LOUISVILLE HANDY MAN, 502-292-2727.
This company does very good work. Have used them several times and was very pleased with their work. They are on time and will give you an estimate for the job.
Reply
11-09-2008 @ 7:42AM
Angel said...
@Lissy: while reading the contract thorougly is important, if one nit picked every word, we would never hire anyone or get any work done to maintain our homes.
Best scenario: get specific details and dates of when jobs are to be done, how much, who did it and be prepared to enforce your contract in court. As a matter of fact: I'll be heading to court soon as my basement rebuilders have now given me a house that will not sit down evenly with the blocks they built.
He also was kind enough to start screaming at me and cussing and got his "granddaddy" hammer to bust this F-in wall down. I told him to go ahead. He would be helping me start the demolition and it would cost me less. The sheriff was called that day : ) I feel I have a great case against him and his experts.
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11-09-2008 @ 9:33AM
Val said...
FIrst off no contract can not be broken. Course you have to hire a lawyer. No not all Lawyers are scam artist. Second regarding the Empire situation. I wonder just how high up in the company this person talked to, wrote to etc... I have found that most companies want to stand behind thier work. But have a hard time policing all of the employees and what they are out there doing. I had a run in with a large company here years ago, talking to the salesman or even his boss did no good. When I contactd the Head Guy , Pres, CEO call him what you will. My situation was handled promptly and done perfect. On top of that the damage that was done I was told to hire whoever I wanted to and to have them send the bill. I got a letter from the Head Guy stating they would cover all expenses owed for repair. You can't just talk to some little guy in the company and expect to get results.
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11-09-2008 @ 9:34AM
Val said...
Opppppppps they forgot to mention the BIGGEST scam from this time of year can we all say BAILOUT...................
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11-09-2008 @ 9:55AM
CJ said...
Good post #10Val
"Opppppppps they forgot to mention the BIGGEST scam from this time of year can we all say BAILOUT..................."
Used to be you had to make money to stay solvent otherwise you were history. Now everybody wants a bailout.
I would also like to add "CONGRESS "and AOL for the most continuous "scamming' day after day .
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11-09-2008 @ 11:31AM
Margaret said...
biggest scam of the millenia BAILOUT AND NOW INTRODUCING THE NEW RICH WELFARE RECIPIENTS THE AUTO INDUSTRY.
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11-09-2008 @ 1:45PM
Doreen said...
I would like to suggest Craigs List. Had wonderful results using their recommendations.
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11-10-2008 @ 6:40AM
craig said...
I think that you folks should gather more information before you present information to consumers. Yes there is a severe problem within the chimney trades , but to advise the consumer to only hire a chimney technician from the chimney safety institute is not fair , the institute is not the deciding factor or the most intelligent group out there , i have been in this trade for 35 years , and you do not stay in the trade that long without being credible ! csia is driven by money and other venues! not always the best choice , it would have been more appropriate on your part to have also mentioned local building inspectors as a source for information as to weather a contractor is known to be reputable , There are a lot of chimney scam companies out there who have found that they are better off to hide within the protection of chimney sweep guilds , CSIA , national chimney sweep guilds etc ! PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK !!!!!Before you present a lot of mis information
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