Shady online services and gimmicks are plentiful.  We can now add pre-screened contractor services to the list.  Online pre-screened contractor websites can have celebrity affiliations and catchy names such as servicemagic, angie’s list, expert service- this or home pro -that.  These pre-screened contractor websites exist primarily to generate advertising revenue on a nationwide basis.  In this way they are the same as the Service Directory of a local periodical, the yellow pages or any other advertising medium, only larger.  They differ in marketing strategy and the collection and proprietary use of your personal information.  The pre-screened contractor service sites are virtual environments expressly designed to create a false perception of consumer protection. These companies market themselves as an informed method to match customers with pre-screened contractors.  This is, at best, nothing more than a shrewdly constructed illusion.   The truth is these contractor matching companies are self-promoting advertising directories with astonishingly little knowledge of the services that they refer.  They possess no proprietary ability to actually assess an acceptable level of competence and absolutely no power to enforce professional standards of performance and behavior.  The façade of consumer protection is a clear misrepresentation.  

The contractors are usually charged on a per lead basis (servicemagic and others).   Additional fees are required to receive a “preferred status” (placed at the front of the line).  The referred contractors are not required to possess a valid license for the requested service.  The “preferred” contractor status is actually determined by the amount of money the contractor pays to the connecting service with no direct accountability for actual project qualification, performance or craftsmanship.  In this context the relationship between the ad agency and the contractor service clearly represents a conflict of interest for the consumer. The consumer is still required to do the same real world screening that is always necessary prior to hiring a contractor service.  The matching service may paint a rosy picture of customer commitment but a quick read of the “terms and conditions” will tell a much different story.  The legal disclaimers contained in these “terms of use documents” define their level of professional integrity and accountability and should not be taken lightly.  Consumer-to-contractor prescreening service providers offer no written guarantee that contractor members will perform as expected, or that licensing, insurance coverage and good standing as a service provider are still valid at the time of hiring.  When the inevitable problems arise the internet can always be used as a veil of concealment leaving the customer without acceptable recourse.  The inherent conflict of interest and clear lack of accountability requires that all pre-screened contractors or services be subjected to a much higher level of scrutiny.

Should you trust these services to competently screen contractors?  

 As the construction industry continues to stagnate fraudulent contractor activity is on the rise.  A growing number of fraudulent contractors obtain money upfront from unsuspecting homeowners and then disappear before work is completed, or even begun.  Contractor connecting websites are not staffed to provide the most up to date licensing information and demonstrate a complete disregard for accurate trade qualification.  Incompetent prescreening does not offer the consumer protection; it creates greater hazards of risk.   This careless prescreening is a very unreliable way to gauge a contractor's professionalism, credibility, and reliability as a service provider - even at the time of membership.  A consumer interested in  house painting cost or a cabinet refinishing estimate could easily be connected with a Plumber convicted of contractor fraud by any of these websites.  In the end the consumer is left with the responsibility to do the real world screening, while the website collects money from the consumer or the contractor or both.   Checking licensing and qualification requirements is an important first step in hiring a contractor.  The most accurate source of this information is the (CA) Contractors State Licensing Board; see the “A Better Source” section below. 

The latest gimmick to reinforce the illusion of consumer protection is a “Service Guarantee” of $500.    Your ability to acquire the “Service Guarantee” amount could be the least of your problems when placing your trust in these websites.  Their message is crystal clear; these services should not be trusted for projects in excess of $500.  Interestingly enough a licensed contractor is not required for a project of $500 dollars or less.     

All that is required to answer this question is a thorough reading of the “terms and conditions of use”.  This is where you will find all the important legal disclaimers that clearly state their commitment to be unaccountable when the chips are down.  Consumer-to-contractor prescreening service providers offer no written guarantee that contractor members will perform as expected, or that licensing, insurance coverage and good standing as a service provider are still in tact at the time of hiring.  The answer to both questions is a resounding NO!   

   These websites exist for self-promotion acting as the middleman between you and the contractor with the express purpose of generating revenue.  All you need to know is this obvious fact; the more money a contractor pays; the greater the promotion, the higher the recommendation.    

              Click this link to read complaints from consumers and contractors

A Better Source for Residents of California

The State of California provides a much more effective method to determine the qualification of contractors.   In California all contractors must be licensed so pre-screening is a matter of checking the license number and the appropriate classification of the license.  For example our license no. is 516158 and our classification is C33.  The license status and the classification of a contractor should always be checked.  The classification check is an important step because it will allow the consumer to eliminate companies and individuals who may contract work outside of the trade that they are actually licensed to perform.   This is a common practice among general building contractors and contractors with a “D” level license.  General building contractors are usually licensed for framing and carpentry and are restricted to contracting projects that require more than two other specialty trades other than their own or unless the general building contractor holds the appropriate specialty license or subcontracts with an appropriately licensed specialty contractor to perform the work.  The “D” classification is even more restrictive.  These contractors cannot perform any trade that is covered by any other specialty license.  As you can see neither of these classifications allows for performing the work of a “C33” Painting and Decorating contractor.  It is obvious that the screening process of an online contractor clearing house is of no value when compared to the easily obtainable information provided by the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs.     

Qualification is an important place to start.  RS Turner Painting has the ability to support our commitment to a long term consistent level of craftsmanship with references and a body of work.  Our client references include professionals intimately familiar with the industry who have used our service over the course of many years.  These home/property owners graciously refer their family, friends, co-workers and customers without solicitation. This kind of recommendation provides a much better view of a service.  Our professional relationships demonstrate a long-term commitment to quality service.

RS TURNER is the best choice for all of your painting needs.