Over the past 10 years, service providers such as Angies List (formerly service magic/home advisor) Thumb Tack and many others have enjoyed massive popularity through marketing on HGTV and many other DIY platforms. Still the question in the back of all of our brains remains… am I really getting a reputable company to show up at my door?

The truth is, it doesn’t take much digging if you have really wanted to find out. But for those of us lazy enough to want someone else to do the research, here you go!

Yes, it’s true these corporations do background checks and some research on their vendors, but the pool is pretty shallow. Here’s how it works.

The contractor applies to provide specific offerings in a designated area. The service provider does a one layer deep, one year background check for criminal cases in that area. They do require a certificate of insurance for certain trades, but do not require a license for all.  After you have been approved that’s where the vetting process ends. From that point on they do not require anything else.

So, what’s the issue? Isn’t that enough to ensure I get a company that doesn’t have a bad reputation?

Unfortunately, no. The background check is only one year and its only for criminal cases. When you enter litigation with a contractor, it is in civil court, producing a civil judgment. Hardly will that case ever reach a criminal court, let alone a judgement that will be brought to light by a background check.

So what happens when I request a job? How do they select the contractor?

As you can probably guess, there is another snag that you may not see coming. The job is immediately sent to 4 or 5 contractors in your area In real time. As in push button and their phone rings. Sound exciting? Its not for the contractor. The second that phone rings they are charged for the service whether they get it or not.

Heck even if they are busy and cant answer the phone, they are charged anywhere from $25 to $200 depending on the service you are requesting. No this doesn’t change your bottom line, but it does make a difference on who will be on the other end of that phone.

When you pressure hungry contractors who are just starting up and need work to survive, they are compelled to chase the lowest price. And I think we all know the line and have had firsthand experience with “you get what you pay for.“

The unfortunate truth is, when you have low end contractors fighting over who can be lowest, your expectations for quality work need to be low as well. Most of the contractors using these pay per lead services are startups and do not have other client sources.

On that note I have to say, there is nothing wrong with startups and honestly that’s what keeps this country moving forward so let’s not get down on our entrepreneurs here. But let’s know what we’re getting into before we start writing checks.

I heard one of my business coaches saying the other day something that stuck with me when it comes to being booked out several weeks to months. He said “ do you ever wonder why that person is available? Its busy season and every contractor you know is 2 months out, yet you found someone who can do it cheaper and they can be there tomorrow. Why do you think that is? “

To wrap things up, yes you can find a reputable company on one of these sites, but if you do not do your due diligence you will end up adding to the statistics on the wrong side of the fence. And if your going to vet a company you just had a website connect you with, why not just vet them first before you cost them money for a phone call?

Lets face it folks. Its 2022. Any company worth hiring has invested good money in online marketing and will be super easy to find. Websites, Google, Facebook, even Instagram and TikTok are easy ways to find out just what they are all about and what to expect when they pull up in your driveway ready to share your personal bubble. So don’t put too much trust in big brother and do the work yourself. Happy hunting!