Randolph County Sheriff's Office issued the following announcement on Oct. 28.
Warning Signs to avoid home improvement scams.
Do’s
• Do insist on seeing references and ask if you can visit a job currently in progress.
• Do require a bid in writing and compare bids from multiple contractors before agreeing to any work.
• Do check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website to see contractors’ ratings and whether any complaints have been filed against them.
• Do a written *contract before you pay any money and before the work starts.
*detailed description of work, material costs, start date, completion date, warranty information
• Do verify before making the final payment that the work has been done to your satisfaction, the subcontractors or suppliers have been paid, and the job site cleaned up.
Don’ts
• Don’t pay cash. Use a check or credit card or arrange financing.
• Don’t automatically take the lowest bid. Some contractors cut corners to come in lower than the competitors. If significantly less, ask why.
• Don’t put down a big deposit. The initial payment should be no more than a third of the total estimate, payable on the day the materials arrive.
• Don’t let the contractor arrange financing for you.
• Don’t agree to get any required building permits yourself. That should be the contractor’s responsibility.
Original source can be found here.