Monday, December 04, 2006

Landscape Contractors - Landscape Construction

Back in 2005 I worked for a company that was contracted by Home Depot to do landscape installations. One of the first things I was asked to provide HD's head office with.... a criminal record check!

I must admit, at first I was a little unnerved, insulted if you will....why would anyone want to check me for a criminal record?!?!... but only for a brief moment did I think that as I quickly reminded myself of the previous years of exposure to various so-called contractors that are out there in the public domain.

These various few are accepting your phone calls and taking deposit checks from people that so trustingly turn them over, expecting work completed in return....yet I see it time an again, someone always runs off with the money! The client gets burned and then labels the contracting world as shysters and crooks!

That's why Home Depot does criminal checks before they give that contractor the right to wear the orange logo!!! So, I'm proud to say...nothing was found on my record! I was given the blessing to wear Home Depot Orange. I was cleared to walk into people's homes and accept signatures, checks and credit card numbers to sell, sell, sell....

The police report was Home Depot's way of saying, you can trust this guy.... He wears our name....

I have run into my share of Contractors that have lived "Hard Lives"....some still lives those hard lives and continue to walk into people's homes. I've seen contractors that are alcoholics, coke heads, pot-growers, scammers, some have been arrested for a drunken disorderly or an assault! The worst was seeing some of them drinking and driving....opening the door of their pick-up to find an invoice and I see beer bottles rolling around the passenger side.

....Not nice!....

Make sure the contractor you hire has a well-known reputation for quality work and professional character. Word of mouth is the greatest referral going...long standing business operation means no funny business....

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