DETROIT –
When it comes to giving someone your money for work on your home, cutting your grass, or plumbing repairs, you want to make sure they know what they're doing. These days almost everyone checks customer reviews before hiring professional help.
"I look online and I check out reviews before I do a lot of different things," Meredith Pickett of Livonia told Help Me Hank.
Shawna Mitchell of Detroit seconds that opinion, "Anything that I'm buying with my money, I review it."
There are many resources where you can check customer reviews, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and Angie's List.
In the past, Angie's List charged consumers who wanted to get a look at the millions of customer reviews on that website. Now, after more than 20 years in business, Angie's List is making those reviews free.
"This has really come out of Millennials becoming home owners. Their view is they'd like to be able to get that information for free, but we're still going to offer great memberships along with it," said Angie Hick's, founder and CEO of Angie's List. She says as Millennials start buying homes they are changing the entire market.
3 levels of service
Angie's List will now offer three levels of service.
A Green Membership will give you free access to millions of reviews. The Silver Membership will cost $24.99 a year and also comes with exclusive discounts and price guarantees. The Gold Membership will cost $99.99 per year and offers even more services.
"At Angie's List, our sole goal is to help consumers find the very best service companies to take care of their home because our home is where their heart is," Hicks said.
Help Me Hank found several millennials at Detroit's Campus Martius who are happy Angie's List will start offering reviews for free.
"Millennials, we're the generation of the internet, and we definitely like things cheap, if not free," said Sam Dirksen of Ann Arbor.
Reviews are just one step to take
While reviews are a critical part of hiring any professional, there are many other steps you should take before signing a contract or spending any money.
Help Me Hank has come up with the following steps that should have you protect your money.
- Determine the scope of your project and what you're looking to accomplish
- Determine a budget
- Ask family and friends for the names of contractors they have used and trust.
- Solicit at least three bids to get an idea of what the project should cost. Remember the lowest bid might not be the best plan for your project. Interview each candidate and make it a policy that you will never actually sign a project during that first meeting.
- Asked for a detailed contract that spells out everything, including a start date, end date, and payment plan.
- Ask for references from previous jobs, check those references.
- Be sure to check the builder's license with the state. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has a list of all licensed contractors in the state. Only by going to that website, can you be sure if a specific business or builder is licensed.
- Check references, check with professional organizations about the reputation of the building, visit previous job sites.
- Never pay the entire cost of a project up front. Many contractors will require some money as a down payment. Be sure to get a receipt. And, be sure to hold a substantial sum to be paid upon completion.
- Request proof of insurance covering workers' compensation, property damage, and personal liability in case of an accident. Ask for a copy of the insurance certificate for your records.
- Ask your contractor to provide lien waivers showing that subcontractors have been paid as the project progresses. If subcontractors are not paid, they are allowed by law to put a lien on your home to get their money. Having those lien waivers can protect your home.
- Make sure the contractor pulls all the necessary permits.
- Request a receipt that is marked "Paid in Full" when the job is done.
- If you run into serious problems, be sure to report those problems to the proper authorities and agencies that rate contractors.