The construction industry doesn’t have the best track record for customer service. Or delivering on promises, for that matter.

Without fail, every time you hear about a contractor accepting a payment and failing to deliver on the work it makes it on the local news station. So time after time you start to form this impression that the industry is full of shady people.

And we agree. There are a ton of people out there giving the rest of us a bad name. So why are contractors so shady?

Here is why we think this is the case.

High Dollars, Low Accountability

Shady people exists in any industry that money takes place and construction is no different. Where there is less perceived accountability or rules that are harder to enforce- then you will see an increase in “shady” activity.

“Shady”, however, is subjective. A contractor could do all the work performed but cut corners in ways such as not reporting correct earnings, operating with expired or non-existent licenses, not pulling permits where necessary, exploiting undocumented workers, using lower quality products and charging for more expensive ones, etc. Some of it may not be illegal but still unethical.

It’s also easier to get away with these kinds of things because it’s harder to track and enforce. With contractors, it literally requires a physical person to catch the misdeed and then do something about it. (Which is often unlikely to catch before its too late).

There may be tons of other ways contractors operate unethically that fly under the radar.

How to Avoid Shady Contractors?

Armed with this knowledge, how do you, then, avoid shady contractors? Here are some ways to protect yourself:

• Do your research. Check their online reviews, talk to previous clients, and even ask to interview their vendors. The reputation of a company should be consistent across all these platforms- whatever it happens to be.
• Listen for Discrepancies. Lies or half truths are hard to maintain because they rely on other lies to hold them up. If you sense any discrepancies or stories are corroborating with each other then it may be good to mark it as a red flag.
• Ask for Personal Recommendations. Tap into your personal network to find other family/friends that have used contractors for the same type of work. It’s safe to start from here and expand your search.
• Watch for Early Red Flags. Using your intuition, look for those early warning signs. This could look like unreturned call, asking for a suspicious deposit without a contract, and other flighty behavior.

Summary

Despite these concerns, we also want to acknowledge that there are a ton of reputable, honest contractors in the world. These are the the ones that are winning people back from bad experiences, the ones who do the work they promise, and the ones with your best interest in mind.

When you find a trustworthy contractor, hold them close and tell everyone about them because these are the companies that need to be amplified.