Ask for PROOF of liability and workmen's comp.they should give you this. And
yes ask for references , go one more and see if you can see some of there
completed jobs. but remember their not going to give you names of
dissatisfied customers. But on there behave some people can't be satisfied
no matter what and believe me calling there wife a bitch is a bad business
practice.


"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan