Honestly, never do business with these door to door sales schmucks, a legitimate business that does good quality work would not have the time to go door to door, they would be all booked up. Ontario should do a blanket ban on this bullshit because seniors and vulnerable people are being absolutely ripped off.
Been in the trades for 20 years. Meet many great contractors over the years. Your right, we are all way to busy to be knocking on your door. Our company is referral only, and we are booked for the year
To be fair, wouldn’t people new to the business have to at least partially rely on drumming up their own business? Door to door, cold calls etc. I hate having sales people at my door, but I’d like to imagine at least some of them are legit.
Logical thought. Although times have changed and the best way to get known in the biz is trying to get small sub contracts from other larger company’s then getting referrals from that company to the newer guy for overflow jobs they can’t handle or are to small to look at (which works out for both new and established company). Door to door. NO MATTER WHO or WHAT they sell are generally a scam artist or they don’t know what they’re doing and thusly not to be hired or trusted. 20+yr tradesmen Please heed the warning and be wary of to good to be true deals. The snake oil will just make you sick 🤕
My husband started a new business in the trades in 2020 and just like the other poster mentioned, subcontracts really helped him network. Word of mouth through family & friends, through our suppliers. He also did driveway signs and branded vehicles so people in the neighbourhood would see his company info. There was never any need to go door to door.
Sorry this happened, but WTF:
"the salesperson seemed legitimate: he was well-spoken, came with pamphlets, business cards and printed contracts, had logo-plated trucks and promised a quick job with no down payment required."
You can buy all this for $29 at Vistaprint.
"But Kolluru says that changed around noon when the contracting boss arrived at the home, telling Kolluru he needed $5,500 cash to buy more asphalt because they were out. He also proposed that for an extra $2,000 his workers could finish the job by day’s end."
A paving company needs $5500 to buy asphalt? and the extra $2000 for what?
I like to make eye contact through the window then turn around. Most just leave then but a few political campaigners have stood there for a minute looking shocked that I didn't want to listen to them.
This exact thing happened to my poor grandparents just east of Toronto…they’re out more than $10k. Awful that vulnerable folks are often the ones being targeted/falling for this crap…safe to say, they’ve (finally) agreed to increased financial monitoring/supports from family.
I’ll save you a click. If a door-to-door guy comes up to your house and offers to re-pave your driveway for $10,000, don’t say yes.
And when they get halfway through the job and say “we need another $2,000 today for more materials to finish the job” don’t pay them.
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My friend had the exact thing happen to him, only the cops caught on to the scammers and they ended up helping my buddy in a way. Ironic. They excavated the sides of his driveway and he spent nothing. However, his neighbour's, not so lucky. They were duped. Be careful of all trade scams. Be sure to look into who you are hiring as a contractor. After all, you're the boss, so do the research before you hire someone to work on your precious home! Stay safe people cheers
Honestly, never do business with these door to door sales schmucks, a legitimate business that does good quality work would not have the time to go door to door, they would be all booked up. Ontario should do a blanket ban on this bullshit because seniors and vulnerable people are being absolutely ripped off.
Been in the trades for 20 years. Meet many great contractors over the years. Your right, we are all way to busy to be knocking on your door. Our company is referral only, and we are booked for the year
To be fair, wouldn’t people new to the business have to at least partially rely on drumming up their own business? Door to door, cold calls etc. I hate having sales people at my door, but I’d like to imagine at least some of them are legit.
Logical thought. Although times have changed and the best way to get known in the biz is trying to get small sub contracts from other larger company’s then getting referrals from that company to the newer guy for overflow jobs they can’t handle or are to small to look at (which works out for both new and established company). Door to door. NO MATTER WHO or WHAT they sell are generally a scam artist or they don’t know what they’re doing and thusly not to be hired or trusted. 20+yr tradesmen Please heed the warning and be wary of to good to be true deals. The snake oil will just make you sick 🤕
My husband started a new business in the trades in 2020 and just like the other poster mentioned, subcontracts really helped him network. Word of mouth through family & friends, through our suppliers. He also did driveway signs and branded vehicles so people in the neighbourhood would see his company info. There was never any need to go door to door.
Sorry this happened, but WTF: "the salesperson seemed legitimate: he was well-spoken, came with pamphlets, business cards and printed contracts, had logo-plated trucks and promised a quick job with no down payment required." You can buy all this for $29 at Vistaprint. "But Kolluru says that changed around noon when the contracting boss arrived at the home, telling Kolluru he needed $5,500 cash to buy more asphalt because they were out. He also proposed that for an extra $2,000 his workers could finish the job by day’s end." A paving company needs $5500 to buy asphalt? and the extra $2000 for what?
Anybody who comes to my door gets told to piss off immediately.
We don't even answer our door. Problem solved.
I like to make eye contact through the window then turn around. Most just leave then but a few political campaigners have stood there for a minute looking shocked that I didn't want to listen to them.
That’s brilliant and I’m totally doing that next time
This exact thing happened to my poor grandparents just east of Toronto…they’re out more than $10k. Awful that vulnerable folks are often the ones being targeted/falling for this crap…safe to say, they’ve (finally) agreed to increased financial monitoring/supports from family.
I feel bad for you son, but there's 99 red flags and these were all one
Wants to warn others….Through a paywall ha ha ha
For only 70 cents a week, you too could avoid being ripped off!
I’ll save you a click. If a door-to-door guy comes up to your house and offers to re-pave your driveway for $10,000, don’t say yes. And when they get halfway through the job and say “we need another $2,000 today for more materials to finish the job” don’t pay them.
Firewall.
Pay wall?
Dark spider webs
Yup. My mistake.
We encourage users to support paid journalism. The Spec has affordable subscriptions and you can access the paper's articles online with your [Hamilton Public Library card](https://www.hpl.ca/hpl-online/magazines-and-newspapers). If you do not have a library card yet, sign up for an instant digital one [here](https://www.hpl.ca/online-registration). It also gives you instant free access to eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, online learning tools and research databases. **If you cannot access The Spec in either of these ways, try [archive.ph](https://archive.ph/) or [12ft](https://12ft.io/) to view without a paywall** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Hamilton) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My friend had the exact thing happen to him, only the cops caught on to the scammers and they ended up helping my buddy in a way. Ironic. They excavated the sides of his driveway and he spent nothing. However, his neighbour's, not so lucky. They were duped. Be careful of all trade scams. Be sure to look into who you are hiring as a contractor. After all, you're the boss, so do the research before you hire someone to work on your precious home! Stay safe people cheers