It’s finally summer, it’s also the time year when door-to-door crooks pop up like weeds in the cracks of your driveway.These fly-by-night asphalt pavers and sealers travel moving from town to town.
No one likes to be taken advantage of and ripped off and no one can be an expert at all home repair jobs. When it comes to choosing a reputable driveway sealing company, you don’t have to be an expert; you just have to know a few do’s and don’ts to avoid being a victim of an asphalt scam.
Don’t say yes to “now or never”: All companies are smart enough to go door-to-door while they are working in a neighborhood. That’s good business practice. A disreputable company is easily spotted when they come to your door and offer you a “now or never” deal. A reputable driveway sealing company is happy to come back another day, giving you time to check out the job they did in the area.
Do look at jobs they’ve done: If you know of a driveway sealcoating job that’s been done, go check it out. Look for a professional job that is left looking professional. The hallmarks of a bad job or an asphalt scam are:
- seeing black spray where it shouldn’t be (garage, sidewalk, etc.)
- weeds or loose gravel just sprayed over instead of being removed
- the edges aren’t clean and even
Don’t skip a quick reference check: A reputable driveway sealing company is happy to provide references, as well as contact information, and to tell you what products they use. Even if you’re too busy to follow up on references, take the time to use the contact info to verify that they are easily reachable, polite, respectful, and courteous.
Do get a quote: This is another great way to separate the fly by nights from the legitimate companies. If your driveway has any cracks, the reputable driveway sealing company will be sure to point that out, and include crack repair in the quote. If the quote seems too low to be true, question what product they are using, and ask yourself if they might be watering it down. Best of all, get more than one quote, and compare prices, product used, and crack filling.
Don’t hire a company that won’t guarantee their work: As with all products and services, you should look for a guarantee. The very best one to hear is “Our job is not done until you are happy”. This also gives you a very good indication of whether the sealcoating product they are using is of high quality.
Do ask questions: A legitimate business knows that customers have questions, and they are happy to answer clearly. They take the time to explain why crack filling and quality sealcoating saves you money in repairs and helps to prevent the need to repave. An asphalt scam company will not be interested in responding to your questions, they just want to get your money, and get out.
To avoid getting taken advantage of by an asphalt scam is simple:
- Never accept a ‘now or never’ quote
- Look at completed driveways in your area to verify professional work
- Ask for references, contact info, and product information
- Call or email the contact info to make sure they respond
- Get a complete quote, with details of repairs and product used
- Make sure there is a guarantee
- Ask questions
A reputable driveway sealing company will politely and professionally handle all of those points, and you will enjoy your driveway for years to come
