Although it can be tempting to quickly contract or hire someone to get back to “normal,” it is important to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your finances.
Friday’s tornado in Andover led to many homes, vehicles and other items being destroyed, making the area ripe for storm opportunists to try to take advantage of the situation. These are companies that go door to door in areas that have been hit by severe storms, hoping to contract with homeowners to repair damage.
Sometimes they may be identified by their vehicles’ out-of-state license plates. Immediately after a damaging storm, these traveling workers may quickly descend upon a neighborhood.
They may blanket streets with business cards and handouts offering quick damage repair and claiming cut-rate pricing. Consumers should not make hasty decisions and will probably benefit from being deliberate and choosy.
The anxious feelings of vulnerability, uncertainty and economic fears may put consumers in exactly the wrong frame of mind to make decisions. When seeking help, it is important to call well-known and trusted companies for repair or damage assessment, and if possible, call multiple to receive multiple quotes.
People can also contact the Better Business Bureau before hiring someone and to see if there has been a positive or negative history tied with the entity. Also, ask relatives or friends for companies they recommend. The BBB also suggests resisting high-pressure sales tactics, “such as the ‘good deal’ you’ll get only if you hire the contractor on the spot.” Oftentimes if deals seem too good to be true, it’s crucial to assume that they might be.
Don’t pay in full up front before the work is done. Get a written contract specifying the price, the work to be done, the amount of liability insurance coverage maintained by the contractor and a time frame. Although it can be tempting to quickly contract or hire someone to get back to “normal,” it is important to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your finances.
Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/news/weather/tornado/article260936182.html#storylink=cpy
This story was originally published by The Wichita Eagle and is published here as part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, a partnership of seven media companies, including The Eagle.
