[davemchine]

Bit of a rant here, just have to get it out of my system, but I had my house painted last year by a very nice man who seemed very conciencous about his work. His quote was middle of the road so I didn't feel like I was cheeping out. One year later the paint is coming off the house and I found out he didn't calk the windows so during a rain storm I had water pouring in my windows. So I call him to come fix it and he's "been out of business for quite some time" even though he just painted the house last summer. Next time I will pay more and go with a larger and more established company. It's guys like this that really hurt new people trying to break into a business because how can I trust them?

[ShortcutToMoncton]

1. Get a reference

[pottymouth]

2. Always... no, no... never... forget to check your references.

[andi*pandi]

3. Angie's List

Feel your pain though. We had a landscaper who was really horrible. Started off well, then abandoned the project halfway through the summer, lack of communication, etc. We also chose middle of the road pricewise and he seemed to know his business... but. He did have references, but thinking back, they may as well have been his aunts.

[sek929]

As a contractor myself I thrive off of word-of-mouth and references from previous clients.

Never hire someone that nobody you trust can vouch for.