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Door-to-door paving scams
As it gets colder, time is slipping away to finish any outdoor home improvement projects, and Wisconsin officials advise caution if a crew knocks on your door offering last-minute help.
MILWAUKEE - As it gets colder, time is slipping away to finish any outdoor home improvement projects, and Wisconsin officials advise caution if a crew knocks on your door offering last-minute help.
The backstory:
Since September, the Wisconsin Division of Trade and Consumer Protection has gotten reports of asphalt-paving crews showing up at people's homes and offering to pour new driveways for a low price.
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"Some of the contractors will take the money and disappear, so they don’t even do any work," said Michelle Reinen, administrator of the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection. She said other contractors will take the money, pour some asphalt and demand more money to finish the job.
What they're saying:
A St. Francis woman was approached around this time last year. She ended up with a driveway in even worse shape.
Driveway repair, St. Francis woman regrets door-to-door work
A St. Francis woman hired a business on her doorstep to take a crack at repairing her driveway. Instead, she wound up with an even bigger mess.
"They said we just did a job nearby and we have some cement left over that’s already mixed and it won’t last that long," Ellen Tucker recalled to Contact 6.
What you can do:
If visited by a door-to-door crew, state officials say you should resist high-pressure tactics, document the crew's car and license plate number, and don't let them inside your home.
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"If you need your driveway done, take time, do the research, pick the right contractor for you," Reinen said.
Get recommendations from friends and multiple bids. Pick a local business that will be available if there's a quality of work issue.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Jenna Sachs and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from DATCP, Michelle Reinen and Ellen Tucker.