To: The New Hampshire State House, The New Hampshire State Senate, and Governor Chris Sununu
Stop Contractor Theft/Fraud in NH
Because contractors are not required to be licensed in the State of NH there are few safeguards in place to protect consumers against theft and fraud! Sign this petition to support action that would require building contractors to have escrow accounts for job deposits and/or full costs that will protect both the consumer AND the contractor!
Why is this important?
In the State of NH building contractors such as roofers, carpenters, home remodelers are not required to be licensed. When they do work poorly or don't do work at all, there is little that can be done to protect consumers from losing a lot of money. They can be granted judgements and liens which are then added to a list of creditors when a contractor files bankruptcy. NOT ALL CONTRACTORS are bad, but some are.
A little over nine months ago my family became victims of a contractor gone wrong. With decent Better Business Bureau ratings and a fair amount of positive online reviews, a contractor provided us a decently priced estimate to purchase and install 21 windows and an entry door into our 120 year old fixer-upper home. My husband cashed in his retirement plans with dreams of investing in our home which would then become our retirement plan upon it sale once our kids were grown. We handed the contractor a check for $9,000 and never saw him again. Eventually we were granted a judgment for repayment and the contractor was prohibited from taking any kind of deposits before satisfactory completion of a job. We were one couple in a growin list of victims that took action and contacted the NH Attorney General. Since then, we've received notice that te contractor and his associate business names has filed for bankruptcy. We have no hope that we will get our money back and no way to purchase windows for our home again.
In an effort to protect consumers like us, I have created this petition that will ask the State of NH to take action and protect its consumers with the added benefit of protecting contractors that are honest and fair as well.
I propose that when a consumer accepts a bid on a job be it a remodel, building a new structure, updating an existing structure, etc. the contractor will place the money for the job into an escrow account that neither party can access until the job has been completed to the satisfaction of both parties. The contract should clearly state specific terms including the deadline for job completion and avenues for resolution including arbriteation and mediation should either party become unhappy. If hard deadlines aren't met, consumers should be entitled to a refund in full for no work completed down to a discounted rate per day of being late. I consumers feel that the work was not completed or was done poorly a third party would be required to evaluate the work that was done and through mediation and arbriteation, determine what, if any portion of the money should be refunded.
This will prevent contractors from taking deposits and running or from failing to complete a job at all or within a reasonable time frame. Further, this will prevent contractors from being treated unfairly by consumers that make up excuses to get out of paying the full contract price.
A little over nine months ago my family became victims of a contractor gone wrong. With decent Better Business Bureau ratings and a fair amount of positive online reviews, a contractor provided us a decently priced estimate to purchase and install 21 windows and an entry door into our 120 year old fixer-upper home. My husband cashed in his retirement plans with dreams of investing in our home which would then become our retirement plan upon it sale once our kids were grown. We handed the contractor a check for $9,000 and never saw him again. Eventually we were granted a judgment for repayment and the contractor was prohibited from taking any kind of deposits before satisfactory completion of a job. We were one couple in a growin list of victims that took action and contacted the NH Attorney General. Since then, we've received notice that te contractor and his associate business names has filed for bankruptcy. We have no hope that we will get our money back and no way to purchase windows for our home again.
In an effort to protect consumers like us, I have created this petition that will ask the State of NH to take action and protect its consumers with the added benefit of protecting contractors that are honest and fair as well.
I propose that when a consumer accepts a bid on a job be it a remodel, building a new structure, updating an existing structure, etc. the contractor will place the money for the job into an escrow account that neither party can access until the job has been completed to the satisfaction of both parties. The contract should clearly state specific terms including the deadline for job completion and avenues for resolution including arbriteation and mediation should either party become unhappy. If hard deadlines aren't met, consumers should be entitled to a refund in full for no work completed down to a discounted rate per day of being late. I consumers feel that the work was not completed or was done poorly a third party would be required to evaluate the work that was done and through mediation and arbriteation, determine what, if any portion of the money should be refunded.
This will prevent contractors from taking deposits and running or from failing to complete a job at all or within a reasonable time frame. Further, this will prevent contractors from being treated unfairly by consumers that make up excuses to get out of paying the full contract price.