Ask the Home Remodeling Specialists…

Home Improvement: WARNING – THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY

Nothing makes  my blood boil more than people who are taken advantage of by home remodeling contractors.

This morning, as I was enjoying my cup of coffee and reading the Palm Beach Post, the article “Company Changes Name, Not Practices” caught my eye.

Once again, a local Palm Beach County company is scamming seniors and using high pressure tactics to commit what I consider robbery.

PHONY REPRESENTATIONS

I wish I had a solution for the problem of phony representations.

The article in the Palm Beach Post mentioned how a “representative from Florida Power and Light (FPL)” contacted the victim to help her save money on her electric bill. The victim, trusting the person on the phone, believed that this was true.  Who wouldn’t want to save money on their bills?

But… FPL did not really contact the woman, nor does it sell air conditioners. The net result was she overpaid for a system she did not need and actually increased her electric bills.

COOLING OFF PERIOD

The best solution is to do your due diligence and verify what you are being told before you sign a contract and hire a remodeling company. That includes verifying licenses, contacting your local building department to see if a permit is required, and checking references.

If you, or a loved one, signed a contract with a home improvement / home remodeling contractor, you have a short window to change your mind and cancel the transaction.

In Florida, “if you purchase goods or services during the course of a “home solicitation sale,” you maintain a three-day right to cancel. A sale is considered a “home solicitation sale” if it takes place in your home, or at a location which is not the main or permanent place of business for the seller, so long as the purchase price is more than $25.”

You can read more about the Florida “cooling off period” here.