If it’s June in Northern Colorado, you can count on being under a flood watch. Sometimes the flooding is mild, other years homes and businesses are inundated by overflowing rivers. Living in Colorado – at least in terms of weather – is all about unpredictability.
And this is why all of us need to know what to do in case our homes or businesses are flooded by a creek that has turned into a raging river, by torrential rainstorms any time of year, or even by broken pipes and overflowing toilets.
Once the water recedes or is pumped out of your home, and after a call to your insurance agent, it’s time to survey the damage and figure out what you can do yourself and where you need help.
You will probably feel a sense of urgency to get the damage – wet carpets, warped drywall, damaged furniture or electronics – fixed, repaired or replaced. It’s natural to want to return to a sense of normalcy. And this is what scam artists count on after natural disasters.
Although it will seem like a good idea to let an out-of-state contractor who materializes out of thin air to clean up the muddy mess for you, there are many reasons why you need to resist the temptation to do so.
Do you know what you’re getting for your money? Do you know who you will be letting in your home or business? And how will you know if the traveling contractor will do the job well? And how will you know if, after paying a down payment, that he will return to do the job?
You don’t. That’s why it’s always best to take a deep breath and pledge not to rush into making decisions on hiring a business until you’ve had time to check them out.
You can both find a reliable contractor – search by business name, keyword or address – and check out a business at wynco.bbb.org. To check out a business, plug in the name of the business to get its BBB Business Review where you can learn its BBB rating, complaint history and contact information including owner’s name(s), business address, phone number and directions.
Before you hire a contractor, make sure his business has proper licenses and insurance. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and, when you get them, don’t be shy about calling them.
Make sure you get everything – including verbal promises – in writing. When it’s time to pay for the service provided, use a credit card, which will allow you to recoup charges if the job isn’t done to your satisfaction.
BBB Footnote: Many Fort Collins residents have been asking the BBB how to get onto the Fort Collins no-solicitation list now that the city has repealed the Green River Ordinance. You can do this by going to:
fcgov.com/solicitation
Don’t go a day without your BBB. Follow us on
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BBBlog, visit
wynco.bbb.org or call 970-484-1348 or 800-564-0371.
About the BBB
The Better Business Bureau, founded in 1912, is a champion for ethics and trust in the marketplace. Only businesses that meet the high BBB standards are invited to become BBB Accredited Businesses. Today, 123 BBBs across the United States and Canada rate more than 4 million local and national businesses and charities with scores ranging from A+ to F. Only a BBB Accredited Business may elect to participate in BBBOnLine, one of the most trusted and recognized Internet seal programs in the world.
The BBB serving northern Colorado and Wyoming topped 1.1 million instances of service to consumers and businesses in the last 12 months. These services include reliability reports on local companies and charities, access to companies that can be trusted by industry, help with dispute resolution, and trustworthy information on consumer and business topics.
Luanne Kadlub, BBB media relations manager, 970-488-2044 lkadlub@wynco.bbb.org