It’s an unfortunate truth, but scamming occurs with many different types of businesses, and the paving industry isn’t without their share of deceptive and unlicensed salespeople. As homeowners, we jump at the chance to receive discounted services. But there’s a lot of dishonesty and bad practices that follow with these types of scams, and homeowners should be on the lookout for scammers when it comes to cheap home improvement services. Here are the warning signs that a paving service is running a fraudulent business:
They sell their services door-to-door.
Although some door-to-door sales are legitimate, scammers use this tactic for a few different reasons. Many people have trouble dismissing solicitors and can be easily convinced that their driveway is in need of paving. The salesperson is very persuasive, but they typically do not have professional sales materials like brochures and contracts that are required in order to instill confidence that they are an established and licensed business.
They offer cheap prices.
By offering discounted pricing that seems too good to be true, scammers can trick homeowners into thinking they’re getting a great deal and that it’s the legitimate businesses that are the real scammers for charging higher prices for their services.
They claim to have leftover materials from a previous job.
Offering lower prices than the competition is a good way to get someone’s business, but beware of their reasoning for offering such discounted rates for service. It is common for scammers to tell homeowners that they are able to offer their services for cheap because they have leftover paving materials from another job. Professional pavers know how much asphalt is needed to pave a driveway, as they consult with you first and take measurements before gathering the materials they will require.
They urge you to make an immediate decision.
As with most scams, the salespeople will often try to convince you to make a decision about using their services on the spot. It’s especially telling if they warn you that the discounted rate is only available the day they come knocking on your door.
They require payment in cash.
Scammers will also push you to pay for their services in cash, because it is much harder, if not impossible, to trace and substantiate cash transactions. If your preferred method of payment is cash, do not pay for a service until you have a written and legitimized contract outlining all costs, and avoid offering a dime until the job has been completed to your satisfaction.
Looking for honest and reliable driveway paving in Maryland? Contact the professionals at 1-855-GOT-PAVING today!
