Where Have All The Honest Contractors Gone?

Three months ago, a contractor from Down to Earth Landscaping came around our neighborhood.  While the company was originally based on Vermont, it had, according to its owner Wayne Wheeler, set up shop in Avon after the storm last fall and various people were working jobs around the Farmington Valley taking down trees.  

He gave a good quote and could take down the trees later that week.  With a little money down, down the trees came.  So far so good.

Sure, there were some big tree trunks left on the side of the yard, but he said he would have those removed the following week.  And he asked for the remainder of payment that was owed to him.

And despite everything I know about NOT giving up a payment until a job was completed, he sold me. He looked me right in the eye and promised that they would be coming right back to take the trees.  He gave me his word.  And I believed him.

Indeed, he had even offered to do other work at our house so I figured I would see him back in a week or so and the promise of more work would keep him honest too.

That's the last time he showed up at my house.  

That's not to say he hasn't made more promises. He's done them via e-mails, voicemails, and calls. And even at the CVS parking lot one day, when I accidentally ran into him.  

But the logs from the downed trees remain and the extra work he once promised never got done.  

My experience, I suspect, isn't isolated. Indeed, when I've told others about this, each person has their own horror stories about contractors, like Down to Earth. Whether its someone redoing a bathroom, or doing landscaping, everyone's got a story.

Now, despite the headlines, I HAVE found certain contractors around town who do really good work. For example, Tobacco Valley Painting did what they said would do professionally and on time.  I would highly recommend them. 

But it seems for every good one, there are five bad ones and no good ways of stopping them.  Post bad reviews on Yelp is one way.  Give them bad word on mouth on Facebook? Perhaps. But many times, it seems, these contractors don't care.   

It shouldn't be so difficult to find good people in town, but the wealth of the town seems to leave us more susceptible to people looking for a quick buck.  Hopefully, by identifying the bad actors, we can make sure the good ones win.  And by giving work to the good ones, they can continue to help others. 

So, let's try to win one for the good guys.  List some of the honest contractors below and let's start all committing to only working with reputable folks.  

To start, who would you recommend to have some downed trees removed? Anyone looking for free firewood? And, while we're at it, anyone have a good mason?