10 Tips to Avoid Atlanta Painting Scams

Article by Michael Giulianti

10 Tips to Avoid Atlanta Painting Scams – Home – Interior Design

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Spring and summer bring warm weather, barbeques, swimming and gardening. But this time of year also brings out Atlanta home improvement scam artists and Atlanta painters looking to take advantage of Atlanta homeowners. Shady Atlanta contractors come out of the woodwork as soon as the weather gets warm to prey on innocent homeowners.

Complaints against home improvement contractors are one of the most common complaints consumer organizations and federal consumer agencies receive. With over $ 200 billion spent in America each year, home repairs and improvement make an attractive target for scam artists.

Although the painting and roofing scam artists tend to focus on tornado ravaged areas such as Joplin, Missouri and the flood-ravaged Midwest and South, Atlanta is not immune to their tricks. They are often referred to as “travelers”, “painting gypsies” or “storm chasers”, similar to the “ambulance chasers” that plague the legal field.

Atlanta painting scam artists generally ring your doorbell and offer you a great deal on painting the exterior of your home, the interior of your home, repairing your roof or repaving your driveway. As reputable Atlanta painters, we’ve heard horror stories about houses painted with cheap grades of paint, roofs repaired with poor quality roofing materials and driveways reconditioned with motor oil and a small amount of asphalt. And these unscrupulous Atlanta contractors tend to prey on unsuspecting older adults, requesting a down payment on a job that is never completed.

Here are some tips for protecting yourself from unscrupulous Atlanta contractors:

1. Don’t do business with an Atlanta home improvement specialist that comes door to door. Legitimate, established and reputable Atlanta contractors tend to find enough work through word-of-mouth referrals, legitimate advertising, and the internet, that they don’t need to be going door-to-door to attract customers.

2. Do not let these door-to-door salesmen into your Atlanta home. They could be scoping out your house to see if anything is worth stealing.

3. Do not make large down payments to Atlanta painters, roofers or landscapers – the three fields with the most scams! DO NOT pay in full for a project before any work has been done.

4. Ask for references from friends, neighbors, family or check on the Internet or with the Atlanta Better Business Bureau to see if previous customers have reported complaints.

5. Ask for proof that the Atlanta contractor is bonded, carries liability insurance and provide worker’s compensation insurance.

6. The Atlanta painter’s business card should have a certifiable street address and office phone number. Be wary of those with only post office boxes and answering machines.

7. Require the Atlanta painting contractor to use a written contract that lists materials to be used, charges cost and start and completion dates.

8. Be suspicious of an Atlanta contractor who drives a truck with no company name and has out of state plates.

9. Do not fall for the “I want to use your Atlanta home as a model” scheme in return for a hefty discount. Established Atlanta contractors should have completed enough previous projects that they won’t need your job as a demonstration.

10. Avoid the “I can help you finance the project” ploy. Sometimes an Atlanta painter will suggest you borrow money from a lender the contractor knows. This could indicate a home-improvement loan scam, as the contractor may be getting kickbacks from the lender.

There are numerous reputable Atlanta painters and Atlanta home improvement specialists to choose from. Don’t be fooled by these Atlanta scam artists who perform substandard work. Do your homework and research Atlanta painters and Atlanta home improvements specialists thoroughly.

About the Author

Four Seasons Painting & Home Improvement is the finest interior and exterior painting contractor in Roswell, Atlanta, Marietta, & Alpharetta. Whether your painting project is for commercial, residential (house painting) our experienced team of Atlanta painters will perform and complete your project with the utmost attention to detail and dedication to exceeding your expectations.

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Michael Giulianti

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