Be Aware

The City was recently contacted by an individual to see if a particular company had a Holiday Island business license. The company did not but apparently had a license at one time and they simply falsified the date on it to make it look current. The caller had paid a large sum of money to this individual and the work turned out to be shoddy and incomplete.

I cannot identify the company since the City has not actually observed him doing work in Holiday Island. But here are a few pointers to hopefully avoid a similar outcome in the future.

The company advertised being “licensed and insured”. But the work they were offering to do was totally unrelated to the company’s primary business. It was one of those, “Oh we can do that too,” kind of things. Make sure the company you are looking at is licensed and insured to do the type of work they are soliciting. You can always call the City office to confirm their business license before you give them any money.

Get references. Especially if it is a job costing several thousands of dollars. And again, if the company provides unrelated services, like detailing cars and replacing a roof, be sure you get references from people who have had their roof replaced if that is what you need done.

NEVER pay for the work up front. Many small companies need some money down so they can buy materials. But keep the up-front money to a minimum. Pay when the job is done and done correctly.

This is the #1 reason why the City implemented requiring a business license. We have tried to contact the company at issue here but we have been unable to reach them. They appear to be ghosting us. But we are watching.