BBB anticipating increase in scammers and contract complaints after Wednesday’s storm
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- First come the storms, then the scams. The Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado is anticipating at least a 10% increase in the number of contractor complaints after Wednesday's wind storm.
The BBB says now is the time for people to protect themselves from falling victim to a potential scam.
Since Wednesday’s storm, people are already doing their research. The BBB has already seen a spike of inquiries on their website when it comes to fencing and roofing contractors.
“We do see a high number of scammers take advantage of vulnerable situations,” said Adah Rodriguez with the Better Business Bureau in Southern Colorado.
Rodriguez says the complaints relating to bad contract work won’t materialize for another three to six months. However, their office anticipates a significant increase.
“We do anticipate seeing at least a 10% increase in the number of complaints,” said Rodriguez. “Where contractors have overpromised and underdelivered, maybe overcharged, maybe [they're] no longer available.”
The BBB encourages folks to be wary of unlicensed out-of-town contractors, also called storm chasers. Storm chasers tend to go door to door, using high-pressure tactics to get people to hire them on the spot, asking consumers for large down payments, and pressuring them to make a decision quickly.
“If you are not doing your research, consumers open themselves up to work not getting done,” said Rodriguez. “Could be that [contractors] have taken on too many jobs or projects it could be that they truly are a storm chase and they don’t have the investment in our community and they are going to do half the work and chase the next storm in Kansas.”
The Better Business Bureau urges consumers to do their research, and a good place to start is at the BBB’s website or bbb.org/scamchaser. Bureau officials say hiring a contractor that is accredited and vetted by the BBB is a good place to start if you are trying to avoid a poor contract. Read the reviews on the website, and if you don’t see a particular contract on their website then call the BBB.
