My neighbor was scammed by driveway spraying scammers

[Abe]

Everyone is responding like he did get scammed, but I'm not so sure. Was the work done illegally? Almost surely, I'm not arguing that. But to be scammed, he must have not gotten his money's worth.

Did they do a good job and use a good product on the driveway? Did the driveway have alot of cracks and other imperfections before they started? Are they well filled now? $50 extra is not really that much if there WAS in fact alot of existing damage. Just because they didn't price it right at first and had to ask for more doesn't mean your neighbor was scammed, it just means they didn't price the job correctly.

[Spehro Pefhany]

It's *spraying a driveway* not something with hidden complexity. Presumably the driveway was completely visible and measurable. Unless the homeowner somehow changed the scope of the job in mid-work, this is indeed a scam. If you price the job too low you eat the difference and do better the next time. Integrity and all that stuff.. Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

[*]

Abe wrote in article ...

Is your last name "Williams" by any chance?

[Abe]

Huh?

[SteveB]

I'm sure. He wasn't scammed. He was stupid.

Steve

[Harry K]

That is a weird way to view the problem. Someone bids a job, refuses to finish unless paid more is not a scam? What color is the sky in your world?

A bid is a bid and reputable companies live up to them. Now had the owner added to or changed something later, then he would up for additional charges.

Harry K

[dpb]

Harry K wrote: ...

not a contract nor binding unless turned into one (verbal or no) which states it is (binding, that is). (Not that this particular racket isn't an out-and-out scam, the principle is more general.)

These fly-by-night outfits are rampant everywhere each spring. There's a good chance the "product" applied was nothing more than used motor oil or similar besides...

[Rod Speed]

Corse it does.

Then they get to wear their footshot and do the job for the agreed price.

[Cydrome Leader]

be sure to give your credit card info to scammers.

[George Grapman]

If you give them your credit card you have recourse to (a) dispute the charges and (b) disallow anything than ran up on your card. Give them cash and there is nothing you can do.

[Jim Chandler]

Besides which, most travelling scammers won't be equipped to handle credit card transactions.

Jim

[George Grapman]

Actually some itinerant scammers have developed ways to accept credit cards. They have learned that having the Visa and Mastercard logos give them credibility.

[Norminn]

clipped

It is surprising that with all of the publicity in Florida about home repair scams so many people still fall for them. I would never deal with a contractor either from advertisement or, especially, cold call. Waterproofing and windows. The phone rings every day. :o)

[Jim Chandler]

Damn! Is NOTHING sacred? :-) Had I thought for a moment I would have realized that with the wireless stuff that's available now for things like gun shows, ets. it wouldn't be too hard to have it.

Jim

[Marsha]

Marsha/Ohio

[SteveB]

it's worth the paper it's written on.

[Maxwell Lol]

Typically they claim that it's leftover asphalt from another job. In reality, it's old oil (motor or fuel oil?). They probably con some garage to give them the old oil for free.c

It even makes a dirt driveway look shiny and black.

[Maxwell Lol]

Well, the people giving the card numbers must end up feeling overcharged, and not cheated. Or else they don;t know how to dispute a charge. Many don't know.

If they get too many chargebacks, they loose their merchant account.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

He was scammed. This trick has been around for years. Quote a low price, start the job, then demand more money. No different than buying a gallon of mild at the grocery store and on the way out being asked to pay more. If you are that naive, please don't make any big decisions on your own.

[Cheri]

They had the same thing going on here in CA with the driveways a couple of months ago, a lot of older people got taken in by the scammers doing lousy jobs, demanding more money etc. I'm glad to say I wasn't one of them. I will say that the front man for the operation was a personable young man telling me that he will be doing all kinds of work in my neighborhood, repairing driveways, patios, blah blah blah. I ran him off with my cranky old woman voice. LOL I saw in the paper the other day that he was finally arrested in Indiana. :-)

Cheri