BELLA VISTA — It would appear that some people just never learn.
For example, we all know that drinking and driving is against the law, and even armed with that knowledge, people do it and get in trouble every day of the year.
We also know wearing a seatbelt can, and likely will, save your life in an automobile accident. But again, not a day goes by that we don’t hear about another person injured, or worse, because they failed to buckle up.
And then there are the scams.
We all have heard of them.
There’s the one where they tell you your grandchild is in trouble and needs cash to get out of jail.
There are the ones that promise instant wealth, and all you have to do is part with a chunk of your own money.
And then there are the “I’ll perform work for you if you just pay me up front” - and they are never seen again.
There was one of those stories in the Benton County Daily Record last week. A number of people apparently paid a company to do roofing work, but the work was never done. Now, those people are out thousands of dollars.
One of them is Jim Parsons of Bella Vista.
He told the reporter doing the story that he paid Razorfast Roofing $3,600 in advance and has not seen them since. He has filed a suit in Benton County Circuit Court.
Parsons is not alone.
Eva Barker of Farmington alleges she is out $4,500. She gave the company the money four months ago, according to the article.
Douglas and Sue Parks of Springdale claim they are out $9,500 from the same roofer. The story noted that the owner of the roofing company, Shawn Redmond, issued a refund to the couple, only to stop payment on the check.
In addition, a lawyer for Redmond says his client denies the claims of breach of contract and deceit.
Regardless of who is right or wrong in all of these cases, and while I feel for these people, I can’t help but wonder what they were thinking.
Have we learned nothing from all of the previous stories, newspaper accounts, TV news reports, personal stories, etc., about people being bilked out of thousands and thousands of dollars - sometimes their entire life savings - by scammers?
Have we not heard over and over again the dos and don’ts of dealing with contractors or salesmen?
Have we not had it drilled into our heads a million times that youdo not pay for something until the work is done, and then only if it is done per the contract or to your satisfaction? It’s a whole lot easier to defend yourself in a suit by the contractor that you have not paid than it is to get your money back from a crooked one.
If you can, use a credit card as payment. At least then you can dispute it when the bill comes. Paying in cash leaves you no recourse.
Along with protecting your money, do some investigating before agreeing to any particular contractor.
Ask to see their license and proof of bonding.
Get references from them and call those people. If you can, visit the sites given by the contractor to see how good a job he did.
Get bids from several companies. If one man is thousands of dollars above the others, it should be a red flag that something is wrong.
Don’t fall for excuses, such as the contractor has to pay cash for the materials and needs you to front them the money. Any legitimate contractor or company will have a line of credit they can access.
Insist on a written proposal that includes all the costs and a complete description of the work.
Call or visit the Better Business Bureau online and see if there are any complaints against the company.
Don’t be rushed into anything. Make sure you have all of your questions answered before any work begins.
And above all, don’t pay for anything in advance, or give anybody the ability to debit your checking account in order to purchase materials, etc.
If you have an elderly family member out there, check on them periodically to make sure nobody is trying to rip them off. Look at their checkbook and bank statements. Look for unusually large amounts of money being spent without an adequate explanation.
Many of these scammers target the elderly because they are highly susceptible to becoming victims in these types of situations.
Ask questions. Get acceptable answers. Never assume everything is OK.
You just might save them from disaster.
Grant is managing editor of The Weekly Vista.
Opinion, Pages 7 on 10/12/2011