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Home Improvement Scams LINCOLN - American homeowners will spend over $100 billion on home renovation and improvement projects this year. Over $1 billion of that will be lost to scams and fraud. Spring is the time when many homeowners are planning home improvement projects. It is also the time when we hear about increasing numbers of home repair scams. Who wouldn't like to save some money on a home improvement bill? Be wary of these time-honored scams designed to make you think you are getting a bargain. You may find out you will be paying more than you planned. "WE'LL GIVE IT TO YOU CHEAP IF YOU TAKE IT OFF OUR HANDS" This could be the pitch to entice you to buy a partial load of blacktop or concrete for your driveway. You have been meaning to repair it anyway, and this seems like a way to save some money. Later you find the price was much higher than you could have gotten through a reputable paving contractor, and---a few weeks later the new concrete begins to break up, or you find dandelions growing through the new black-top. "THIS MIRACULOUS NEW PRODUCT WILL FIX YOUR LEAKY ROOF" "No need to re-shingle," you are told by the itinerant contractor. "This new 'roof paint' will do the trick." The "trick" is on you, as the first rain will wash that substance right off of the roof, and the leaks continue. "NEW SIDING AT A DISCOUNT" An ad in the local paper or a telemarketing caller offers to side your home at a big discount. All you have to do is allow it to be shown as a "model home" for the company. It sounds like a great opportunity, so you accept. But - the cost of the siding is so inflated you end up paying more than if you had comparison-shopped. Consumers will save time, money and aggravation by following some basic good sense rules: Use a local, well-established contractor. Ask for references and check with customers to find out if they were satisfied. Get competitive bids on all work and be wary of any bid that seems too good to be true. DON'T accept high-pressure offers or offers that force you to make a quick decision. Beware the contractor who comes to your door with a business card containing only a phone number and no address- or the one who is staying temporarily in a local motel. For
more information about this or any other consumer issue,
contact: Attorney
General's Office |