Gwen in Burnaby says she’s a procrastinator who wanted to get her driveway fixed, but kept putting it off despite cracks that “drove her bonkers.”
So when a smooth-talking man showed up at her door early in the spring of this year, Gwen (who doesn’t want her full name used) thought her prayers had been answered.
Only she ended up getting swindled in something being called the driveway scam.
“They had this nice brochure and sounded very professional,” said Gwen, whose husband passed away years ago. “He came back with another man who did an estimate and the price seemed reasonable, but they wanted a lot of the money upfront. They said they needed it to purchase supplies. They asked for $4,000 and that seemed too much so I gave them $500 and said they would get more when the work started to buy more supplies. They took my money and bolted. Just disappeared. I called the number they gave me and it said it was out of service. It could have been a lot worse, but I’m pretty angry at what happened.”
The Better Business Bureau says it’s received dozens of reports in 2021 of “unscrupulous contractors who trick homeowners with supposedly good deals,” said a news release. “Homeowners end up with shoddy paving work, or nothing at all, with some persons paying over $8,000 in the process.”
How the Scam Works
A contractor leaves a pamphlet or shows up at the door, says a news release. They claim they have been doing work in the area and just happened to notice the condition of your driveway or sidewalk. Since they are already working nearby, they can give you a discount. If the price is agreeable, they will then ask for a large percentage of the fee or the total amount up front.
Once they have received the money, the scam contractor may promise to start the job within a few days and then disappear completely. In other cases, the full payment was made and the contractor completed the job, however the work is shoddy and unprofessional. Attempts to follow up with the contractor are futile because of fake contact information or another company was impersonated in the process. As a result, the chances of getting a refund or getting the work fixed are not promising.
How to Avoid Contractor Scams
- Be wary of unsolicited offers. Most scams involving contractors begin when a random contractor makes an effort to go out of their way to offer an estimate that was never asked for.
- Research companies and contractors before you hire. Start with BBB.org. If the contractor has multiple negative reviews and complaints, reconsider hiring them. Often, a simple internet search will reveal companies or individuals that have been involved in fraudulent activities or provided unsatisfactory work to previous clients.
- Get everything in writing. Ask for an estimate in writing before payment is even discussed. Don’t let a contractor start working on a project until a written, signed contract outlining start and complete dates, a detailed description of the work to be provided, material costs, payment arrangements, and warranty information is provided.
- Stagger payments. Most contractors will require a percentage of the total price up front, but it should never be the full price before the work has begun. Instead, make an agreement to stagger payments, so work can be inspected at various stages of the project.
- Use safe payment methods. Paying with a credit card provides some peace of mind since the credit card company will likely offer some recourse if the company is fraudulent. Cheques are also a safe way to pay. Write them out to a company, not an individual. Paying by cash or using an electronic wallet app is risky, since there is no way to stop the payment or get cash back if anything goes wrong.
