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So, you need someone to come in and do some work or make repairs on something. How do you go about getting the work done? Who do you call? How do you know they will complete the work? How do you know they won’t overcharge you?

Finding a qualified person or company depends mainly on the job itself. Digging up a flowerbed, for example, requires asking the neighbors if they know someone or have a son or a nephew willing to flex his muscles. Moving a house, on the other hand, requires a lot of research. You can also start with the phone book, if you’re old fashioned like me, or check online. Angie’s List and other reference companies are out there too; you just have to look.

Ok, you found a company to fix your widget. You call them, or text them, and you have a conversation. So, do you have them come out and make the repair or give you a price first? You call, but once again a lot will depend on the size and type of job. If your refrigerator quits working, you need it repair now. You have a technician come out, repair the refrigerator, and you write a check.

But after many years of tripping over the old broken flag stones in your patio, you decide you need a new patio. The installation is a big job costing a lot of money and doesn’t need to be done today. A quote or two is in order.

The problem is on jobs in the middle, meaning jobs that need to get done, but not today, and cost a thousand to two thousand dollars. How do you decide what to do? First, contact the company, call Angie’s list and the BBB. Has the company been around for awhile? How is it rated? What does the person you are talking to sound like on the other end of the line? Are they friendly? Can they answer your questions or are they clueless?

How do they charge? By the job or by the hour? Is there a service charge? Who is the technician assigned to your job? How long has he been doing this type of work? Is there some type of accreditation? In the car business, for example, there is no accreditation. A technician learns on the job, often taking 3 to 4 years of mentoring before they are allowed out on their own. What is the warranty on the completed work?

These are some questions to ask yourself when hiring a company. But two things that have served me well over the years are: you get what you pay for and, in your gut, what do you feel about the company you contact?

Brian R. Pickens

The Grumpy Old Man

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