The contractor at the door
Listen to this page This recording is of an earlier version of this page.
Not every scam comes through a screen. This one knocks. And it follows the weather. A crew shows up right after a storm, hail, or flood.
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. They ask you to sign something that assigns your insurance benefits to them, and they 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 check that it's active. Licensing rules vary a lot by state. Some states don't license general contractors or roofers at all. So check with your city or county too, and with the Better Business Bureau. 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. Have an attorney or your insurance agent read it first.
- 7
Know your right to cancel.
For most sales of $25 or more made at your home, federal law gives you three business days to cancel in writing. That is the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule. They must tell you this. Many don't. It doesn't cover a repair you called someone out to do, or a sale needed to meet an emergency. Anything they sell you beyond that repair is covered.
Related door knocks
The same architecture, different costume:
- Utility inspector who needs to come in and check something. Real utilities schedule appointments. 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. If they're hurt on your property and they're 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 your state attorney general's consumer protection office. Search "[your state] attorney general consumer protection".
- 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. 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 · Five signs
