By Carolyn Pimentel, Vice President of Pimentel Paving, Inc.

It’s hard to believe that only 30 years ago, my uncle built houses based on a hand shake—he did the work as desired and got paid when his clients were happy. Unfortunately, those days are over. We live in a time when business ethics and morality are things of the past. We think we protect ourselves by asking for references, looking at past work, getting three or more estimates and checking with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), but that’s still not enough in many cases.

What if you discovered that the references your contractor provided were actually family members posing as past clients? What if you thought you received three different estimates from three different companies for a project, only to find out later that all three companies were related and planned to share the job? What if you hired a contractor who lost his license and got a new one simply by changing his business name? Believe it or not, these things are indeed happening.

I’ve spent the last 15 years trying to stay ahead of the game. First, it was about being licensed and bonded; then it was about carrying general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Did you know contractors only pay the amount that’s reported for these insurances? How can a contractor who has no employee wages carry workers’ comp? The opposite is also confusing: If a contractor claims zero employees and has no workers’ compensation insurance, who is doing the work?

When I receive calls from disappointed consumers who’ve had bad experiences with other contractors, I’m reminded that these companies will never change—they’ll only get better at deception. Consumer review websites like Yelp and Angie’s List can be helpful, but you still have to question if the feedback is genuine. How do you know a friend of the contractor isn’t posing as a past client and giving a false report?

Diamond Certified is the only consumer review program that deliberately checks a company’s past jobs and asks questions that are based on performance. When Pimentel Paving was seeking Diamond Certification, a Diamond Certified representative came to our office and wrote down every name and number of our past clients. We submit a list of clients every year, and Diamond Certified representatives randomly pick and call them to ensure we’re doing a good job. I trust Diamond Certified people, and I hire from their list of contractors and services because I know they’re thoroughly checked. If every consumer used this service, they would find people who are trustworthy and willing to do the work. That’s what truly sets us and other Diamond Certified companies apart from all the others.

For more information on Pimentel Paving, go to www.pavingonline.com or www.diamondcertified.info/report/pimentel-paving-inc.

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