Who and What is this Contractor? 

The above questions are asked  because it's so common among self-empowered private home decision makers like you to KNOW. And it's perhaps as affirmative that you're in one way or another so inquisitive because you embrace this invaluable idiom :

'Every contractor you see,  isn't what a contractor seems to be.' 

And that's equally applicable to every contractor who appears to be the right fit for your home project. You might want to believe that person is, but experience kicks in to question whether this tradesperson is really who or what he or she claims to be, or something else? We hope the shortcuts offered in these four exclusive exercises will be helpful towards the proactivity you demonstrate through searching your device in real-time for the answer. This all depends on marshaling your innate abilities to focus with a distinct determination to investigate on your own accord. Lean in.

How This Works

• Currently, there are four, critical discovery exercises for accessing crucial relevant performance-related facts about each contractor related to her or his consumer service reputation.  [More exercises will be added in the future]

• Each exercise will begin with a leading question.

• The question is then followed by a scenario and explanation.

• You are then challenged, using that scenario and explanation.

• Then the exercise will be for you to pause in real-time [while you're in this page area] then use another device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to locate the answer to each question [1-4]  while you're still on this page.

Option A: If you're on your 'smartphone' at this moment, your 'other' device can be your laptop or desktop. While this area is still open, you can use your laptop or desktop to do the searches without closing this area.

Option B: If you're on your laptop at this moment, your 'other' device can be your 'smartphone,' or desktop. While you keep this area open, you can use your 'smartphone' or desktop to do the searches without closing this area.

Option C: If you're on your desktop at this moment, your 'other device can be your 'smartphone' or laptop. While you keep this area open, you can use your 'smartphone' or laptop to do the searches without closing the area.

*The paramount objective for each exercise on this page [1-4] is to inspire you to be physically more engaged in adopting a reliable discovery technique through using your additional device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to locate documented, related data about a contractor or tradesperson of particular interest to you [anyone you can think of that you might consider for real work in, on, or around your property].You just might be at ease or startled by what you find.

When you locate the information, there is no need to report back on what you found or have not found. That's completely your business [but if you want to let us know how you were impacted by what you discovered, you can visit the CONTACT page on this site].

Nevertheless, even if you keep the discovery personal, that's entirely up to you. Just the same, after you searched the other device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to locate data in relation to the contracting entity he or she runs [an inseparable correlation], you just might be inspired to search even more. And that can lead to uncovering other data, good or nefarious, about the contractor’s consumer service reputation you really need to know even more about.

Happy hunting!

*Exercise One  *Exercise Two  *Exercise Three  *Exercise Four

Exercise One

This exercise will begin with a Lead Question.You are then challenged to carefully proceed to instantly discover what you'll need to. When you're ready to go into action [to do the EXERCISE], pause in real-time while you're on this page, then search your other device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to locate the answer to the lead question asked in this area. Here's the Lead Question [review carefully]:

*Lead Question: Can you think of any home improvement ads you have seen online which offer great plans for having skilled professionals sent to your home for emergency or other repair and improvement services?

Exercise: Think of one. After you have thought of a service that offers sending contractors to your home for emergency or other home repair and improvement service, here are a few things you can do now. They constitute the real-time value of this exercise:

• Search your other device while you're still on this page [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to pull up the Full Company Name. It has to appear exactly as it did in the ad.

• Search it for Unresolved Consumer Complaints [even if it's rated Five-Star].

• Please keep your findings private.

DO IT N O W !

Please, pause this page for now to do so.

Good Luck!

STOP. SEARCH. DISCOVER!

[Once done, it's entirely up to you to either close this page, or proceed to Exercise Two]

Exercise Two

This exercise will begin with a Lead Question.You are then challenged to carefully proceed to instantly discover what you'll need to. When you're ready to go into action [to do the EXERCISE], pause in real-time while you're on this page, then search your other device [iPhone, laptop, desktop, or other] to locate the answer to the lead question asked in this area. Here's the Lead Question [review carefully]:

*Lead Question: Can you think of a specific post you've seen online by a contractor offering services you might want to take advantage of? The follow-up to this question is whether he or she is registered to operate in your immediate vicinity/local [county, city, town....]?

Explanation: Most states and local governments require contractors working in their jurisdictions to meet certain requirements to legally do business in home improvement. Among these mandatory government requirements is for each to be registered as a contracting entity in their respective vicinities. Depending on whether the business's service area is statewide, local, or both, contractors must prove their operations are respectively registered.

In practically all states, whether these principal or independent contractors work statewide or locally, if they’re not duly registered as proper business entities, they cannot obtain related licenses. However, this also means that without being properly registered as a business, it’s not likely they’ll be able to obtain coverage for themselves, subcontractors, laborers, and for you in the event the contractor of project-related injury and/or property damage.

Something else, if you want a kitchen remodel, the professional contracting entity or contractor might be required to ‘pull’ a permit. But in most states and localities, that cannot legally occur unless he or she's aptly registered to do business, and licensed. So you may want to know  whether that individual and company is not only registered to do business where you're located, but duly licensed to operate in the vicinity where  your project is located.

*EXERCISE. Here are a few things you can do now. These constitute the real-time value of this exercise:

• Search your other device while you're still on this page [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to pull up the Full Company Name. It has to appear exactly as it does in the contractor's post.

• Search both state and local Business Records [or the equivalent].

• Please keep your findings private.

You can possibly capitalize on your  search to uncover whether the contractor's also required to be licensed for the nature of work you need done.

DO IT N O W !

Please, pause this page for now to do so.

Good Luck!

STOP. SEARCH. DISCOVER!

[Once done, it's entirely up to you to either close this page, or proceed to Exercise Three]

Exercise Three

This exercise will begin with a Lead Question.You are then challenged to carefully proceed to instantly discover what you'll need to. When you're ready to go into action [to do the EXERCISE], pause in real-time while you're on this page, then search your other device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to locate the answer to the lead question asked in this area. Here's the Lead Question [review carefully]:

*Lead Question: Were You Able To Locate Contractor In 'Business Records?'

If you’ve searched your device to inquire with the Business Records division of your state or locality to discovery whether a contractor is registered to do business in your area, but came up with a blank, that can be somewhat disappointing. But this is experienced by innumerable people all over the country. And you might be inclined to believe the contractor’s working illegally. Yet, that might not necessarily be the case.

*Explanation: Although there can be several reasons, one can be that you searched the Business Records [or local equivent] registry of the wrong area. The two major areas are State, and Local. Since most states don’t have statewide registration policies for contractors who work locally, or on the county or parish level, there’s the risk of looking in the wrong service area. This often creates a sort of conundrum among inquirers about contractors’ registration status. The crux of the matter is that, overwhelmingly, legitimate contractors are either listed in the state, local, or both registries. However, if they’re not in one, then they’re in the other. If they're not in the state registry, they might be in the local registry.  So, to allay the ambiguity, it’s advisable to check both. If contractors who operate their own businesses are registered to operate, they would usually appear in either the state, local, or both registries.

*EXERCISE: Here are a few things you can do now while you're still on this page. These constitute the real-time value of this exercise:

• Double double check, if you haven’t.

• Search State Business Records Thoroughly.

• Thoroughly  Search For The Names [both company, and principal contractor's].

• Search Local Business Records Thoroughly [using the same investigative routine].

You can possibly capitalize on your  search to uncover whether the contractor's also required to be licensed for the nature of work you need done.

N O W !

Please, pause this page for now to do so.

Good Luck!

[Once done, it's entirely up to you to either close this page, or proceed to Exercise Four]

Exercise Four

This exercise will begin with a Lead Question.You are then challenged to carefully proceed to instantly discover what you'll need to. When you're ready to go into action [to do the EXERCISE], pause in real-time while you're on this page, then search your other device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] to locate the answer to the lead question asked in this area. Here's the Lead Question [review carefully]:

*Lead Question: What if the Contracting Entity has No Complaints? Assuming you search your other device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other] using the name of the company and/or the contractor, then discovered no listed outstanding complaints. Then it’s a go, right? No so fast. 

Explanation: Often some companies which are engaged in home improvement fraud aren’t publicly documented to have done so. There are a couple major explanations for that:

• Those who were defrauded didn’t file published civil complaints, meaning, although one or more who were scandalized by the company filed civil complaints, the matters were not treated as newsworthy. But this doesn’t discount the fact that the company has engaged in consumer exploitation.

• The company is new, or the principal may’ve been involved in home improvement fraud through a different company name. And so far, under this new name, there has been no published accounts of its malicious activities. Yet, to reiterate, this doesn’t discount the fact that the company has engaged in consumer exploitation.

So, despite the fact that you might not see her or his new company listed for improprieties against consumers, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ‘clean.’ Still, it’s enough to deceive you into concluding, since you’ve found no complaints, the company is above reproach. Then you’re blindsided, and left to pick up the pieces. Who owns it? Is the contractor the principal? If so, then what’s her or his real name?

Knowing the contractor’s real name is vital because if, by chance, this contractor was chiefly associated with a previous contract firm which didn’t score well with innocent consumers, that person’s name will typically appear. By searching your device using the real name of the contractor, if there were published accounts of these deviations, her or his name would pop up along the name of the errant company.

*EXERCISE: Think of the real name of a principal contractor [one who runs the company] you just met or know. Be certain it’s the tradesperson’s real name, then search your companion device [smartphone, laptop, desktop, or other], using the full real name, referencing ‘contractor,’ meaning, as you enter the real name, use ‘/,’ or ‘-,’ then enter ‘contractor.’ Discover whether it’s associated with another contracting entity with a bad consumer reputation.

You can possibly capitalize on your search associating the real name of the contractor with an extensive trail of improprieties against homeowners under a slew of company names.

N O W !

Please, pause this page for now to do so.

Good Luck!

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