By Paul Murskov
Leads can be hard to come by in the contracting business, and sometimes service professionals make bad moves finding new jobs. In this day and age there are hundreds of consumer protection resources, but contractors can be manipulated too. Below are three contractor horror stories that started with an honest search for work, and then turned ugly.
Dietz’s Defamation Debacle
Sometimes a random lead really is too good to be true. When Christopher Dietz found a home renovation job from a high school classmate, he happily set to work, completing the project “in a workmanlike manner.” Soon, however, his relationship with the client turned sour. It started with a lack of pay. Then she demanded additional free work, angrily locking him out of the house when he refused.
Then the Yelp smear campaign started. After losing upwards of half a million dollars of revenue to slanderous online reviews, Dietz ended up having to go to court to save his business and his name from his nightmare lead.
“Went Into My Account and Pillaged”
The forum of ConsumerAffairs tells a cautionary tale about unscreened lead aggregators. Dozens of contractors have stories of losing thousands of dollars in hidden fees to such companies over nonexistent leads, some of which claim to originate from vacant homes.
Other grievances include dishonest business reviewing practices; one contractor claims that his old reviews were displayed on a competitor’s account after he canceled his.
A Contractor, Not a Counselor
Matt Lederer’s contracting business in Chicago learned the hard way what can happen when a job comes from a lead who hasn’t actually decided what they want done. For Lederer, a simple condo renovation turned into a drawn-out power struggle between the client’s family members over details of the job.
In the end, he lost valuable work time trying to act as a mediator, and was left with dissatisfied customers despite his high-quality work.
All three of these horror stories have something in common: The contractors could have avoided them by screening their leads. Having a clear picture of who a prospect is and what they want is an invaluable safeguard against falling victim to leads that are troublesome, dishonest, or just plain crazy.
At TalkLocal, we hope you’ll protect your business through due diligence on prospective jobs. If you’re looking for cost-efficient leads that won’t screw you over, we’re here to help.
