When it comes time to upgrade your home – or even build a new one – you’ll need to hire trusted professionals. Unfortunately, there are a lot of construction companies that just aren’t worth their salt. Leading construction specialists in Toronto, Heidan Construction, wants to let you know what to watch out for. Here are some construction company red flags you should keep an eye out for. If you see any of these bad signs, you might want to check with other companies before hiring.
Bad Communication
A big red flag to look out for in any industry is bad communication. This can come in many forms.
- No one at the phone. If you call for the first time, during business hours, and get an answering machine, that’s not ideal. While some businesses do take most client information through the answering machine to screen calls, it’s not the best business practice. It shows a lack of enthusiasm with client dealings and it makes communication harder for prospective clients.
- Slow response times. If you’ve called to get a consultation and left a voicemail you should get a prompt response time. Within 24 hours, you should have been called back with a follow-up to schedule your consultation. More than 48 hours is a bad sign.
- Telephone pinball. If the phone gets answered by a different person every time and they have no way of finding you and your needs in their records, that’s a bad sign. You shouldn’t need to take ten minutes filling in each new person on what’s already happened. This speaks of a disorganized office. If a team can’t even keep your consultation plans together, how will they complete a complicated construction job successfully?
No Portfolio
Every successful construction company will be happy to show off their successful projects. Even if they don’t have it readily available online, they should be able to show you a portfolio upon request.
The majority of quality construction companies will keep photos of their work right on their website. After all, if they have successful work, why wouldn’t they want to put it up for prospective clients to see? After all, seeing someone’s finished work is what creates most business.
If the company you’re considering has no record of their work online and they’re trying to tell you they’re experienced, find someone else. While there’s nothing sketchy about a new business having a little less record of their work, they wouldn’t lie about being a new business. A dishonest company is one you should avoid having any dealings with.
If you want to know more construction company red flags to look out for, check out part 2. However, if you’re looking for a consultation now, give us a call at Heidan Construction. We look forward to hearing from you.
