The contractor at the door

Not every scam comes through a screen. This one knocks, and in Texas it follows the weather.

How it goes

Someone rings the bell. They were working on a neighbor's roof and noticed something on yours. They have material left over from another job and can do it cheap today. They saw damage from the storm last week. They're from the city, here to inspect. They can seal your driveway right now.

Then:

• Cash up front, or a large deposit before anything starts
• Today only pricing
• Damage that appears during the "free inspection" — some will make it while they're up there
• Work that starts, then a demand for more money for something they "found"
• Work that never gets finished, or gets done badly with the wrong materials
• A crew that vanishes with the deposit

The insurance version is worse: they offer to handle your claim, ask you to sign something that assigns your insurance benefits to them, and take the payout directly.

The signs

• They came to you. Same first sign as everything else on this site.
• Unmarked truck, or out-of-state plates, or magnetic signs on the doors
• No written estimate, or one written by hand with no license number
• Large cash deposit demanded before work begins
• Pressure to decide now before you can call anyone
• They discourage you from calling your insurer yourself
• A "free inspection" they want to do alone, on your roof or in your attic
• No local address you can find, and a phone number that's a cell

What to do

1. Don't decide at the door. You are not obligated to talk to anyone who rings your bell. "I don't do business at the door" is a complete sentence, and so is closing it.

2. Get everything in writing, then wait a day. Same third step as everything else. A real contractor who wants your business will still want it tomorrow.

3. Verify the license and the insurance. Ask for the license number and the insurance certificate, then call the insurer yourself to confirm it's active. Texas doesn't license general contractors or roofers statewide, so check with your city, the Better Business Bureau, and search the business name plus "reviews" and "complaints."

4. Get two other quotes. From companies you found, not ones that found you.

5. Never pay in full up front. A deposit is normal. Full payment before work is not. Pay by check or credit card so there's a record and a way to dispute.

6. Call your insurer yourself before signing anything about a claim. Never sign a document that assigns your benefits to a contractor without an attorney or your insurance agent reading it first.

7. Know your right to cancel. For most sales made at your door over $25, federal law gives you three days to cancel in writing — the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule. They must tell you this. Many don't.

Related door knocks

The same architecture, different costume:

• Utility inspector who needs to come in and check something. Real utilities schedule appointments and their workers carry ID and drive marked vehicles. Call the utility on your bill before opening the door.
• The distraction burglary. One person keeps you talking at the front while another goes through the house. If two people arrive and one drifts away, that is the whole trick.
• The driveway sealer with leftover material. It's usually thinned motor oil, and it will run down your driveway in the next rain.
• The tree trimmer after a storm, cash only, no license, no insurance — and if they're hurt on your property uninsured, that becomes your problem.

If it's already happened

• Call your local police non-emergency line — this one is genuinely local, and they often already know the crew
• Report to the Texas Attorney General's consumer protection line: 800-621-0508
• Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Call your insurer if a claim was involved
• Tell your neighbors. Door-to-door crews work a street, not a house.

Your door, your terms

You never have to decide anything at your own front door, and saying "I don't do business at the door" costs you nothing but a moment.

Any contractor worth hiring will still want the job tomorrow, in writing, with a license number. The ones who won't wait have told you everything you needed to know.

Related: How they ask to be paid · Three signs