Basement Waterproofing Contractors and Their Scams — Exposed!
The home improvement industry is littered with salesmen who could have played a role in the movies “Tin Men” or “Glenngarry Glen Ross”. They’ll say just about anything in order to sell you a job.
As basement waterproofing contractors, we are all salespeople at heart. That’s okay when you sell with passion because you truly believe you are doing the right thing for the customer. But when you try to deceive people just to make a quick buck, that’s where the line needs to be drawn.
Most often, the standard for a company’s ethics is set by ownership and upper management. Ethical selling doesn’t always generate an immediate return on investment, but over time, it pays big dividends. At U.S. Waterproofing, we’re all about doing the right thing.
In today’s Age of Information, the way consumers make purchases is continually changing. Rather than relying purely on intuition and referrals, homeowners are turning in droves to websites like Google, the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List. The world is indeed changing. And that’s a good thing. Businesses are more transparent than ever.
Unfortunately, some industries are more ambiguous than others, especially service businesses. For instance, if you take your car to the shop to get repaired, you are relying on the mechanic’s expertise and ethics. There’s only so much research you can do, and you probably aren’t so inclined to stick around and actually watch what he does.
Basement waterproofing is probably even more mysterious than automotive repair. Why? Because it is a niche industry and not commonly talked about.
If you hear any of these, do yourself a favor and don’t just walk away…run!
“Your house could fall down if you don’t get this problem fixed immediately”
We’ve been in thousands of homes. Many of them have been leaking for a very long time. None of them, I repeat, none of them fell before we got there. Some homes may have settled and require foundation repair, but no company should sell on falsehoods and fear.
“Sealing cracks in walls will only cause the water pressure to build beneath the floor”
Hogwash. We’ve sealed thousands upon thousands of cracks. Cracks in poured concrete walls can be sealed because the wall itself is monolithic (one piece). Water seeping laterally through your wall isn’t really under much pressure. If it was, it would literally spray out of your wall. While we do recommend sealing any visible cracks found in the walls – as they tend to get worse over time – you shouldn’t worry about that causing hydrostatic pressure to build up beneath your floor. For a more in depth explanation, I suggest reading “Cracks in Basement Walls – Why a Foundation Cracks” and “Interior Drain Tile – Do You Really Need Drain Tile Installed.”
“We are the only company in the area who has this exclusive process”
At first glance, this one may seem legit. There are manufacturers out there that will provide a contractor with a protected territory. It’s generally referred to as a dealer network (or franchise). Nothing wrong with being a dealer, but when they tell you that their product is the only one that will work for your situation, that again is baloney. Since we started in 1957, we’ve always maintained our independence. And because of our size and stature, we can buy just about anything.
“Go with us because we have the best warranty”
A warranty is only as good as the company that stands behind it. I suggest reading our blog “Basement Waterproofing Contractors & Warranties — 7 Things to Consider” before basing your decision solely on warranty.
We really try not to toot our own horn on these blogs, but when it comes to ethics, it’s something we are really passionate about. The Better Business Bureau would back that up; they honored us with their Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.