In today’s world, not all professional titles require education. For example, if you call yourself a doctor and you don’t have the qualifications, you could land yourself in some serious trouble. The same goes for a lawyer. But when it comes to contractors, the legal regulations aren’t so thorough. Unfortunately, here in Beal and throughout California, there’s no requirement for calling yourself a garage door repairman. That means just about any person can portray themselves as a professional technician.
This lack of regulation has led to an increase in contractor fraud and innocent consumers getting scammed.
And the worse part of it all? If you get scammed, there’s probably nothing you can do about it. In many cases, there’s little proof that you were ripped off, so the scammer might just get away with it.
That’s why one of the best ways to avoid garage door repair scams is to hire a company that’s bonded and insured. This is not to say that there aren’t some great family companies that don’t have a bond number or insurance. It’s not a red flag by itself, but when you’re dealing with something as significant as garage door repair, why take a chance with a company that can’t back up their repairs?
Bonding vs. Insurance – What’s the Difference?
Bonding and insurance are similar but they do have their differences. A bonding company typically “insures” the work performed by the contractor. When your contractor has a bond, it means there’s a certain amount of funds being held by a 3rd party bonding company. If your contractor does a poor job, doesn’t finish the work, or damages your property, then you can file a claim and the bonding company will pay you directly after an investigation.
When a company is insured, you’re protected in multiple ways. If a contractor gets hurt on your property and they don’t have insurance, then they can file a claim against your homeowner’s insurance which could lead to a rate increase. On the other hand, if the contractor damages your property or injures someone, their insurance company will reimburse the damage.
When a company is both bonded and insured, it helps protect both the contractor working on the property and the customer.
And it helps give you the peace of mind that you’re working with a high-quality garage door repair company.