HOUSTON – Maryanna Phillips was out in her yard when two workers from an asphalt company pulled up. They said they could sealcoat her cracked driveway for $300 with materials left over from a job down the street.
"They made me feel bad. The lady had been in a wreck. She had stitches all over her head and I'm like, 'Go, just do it,'" Phillips recalled.
The job was sloppy. Phillips' decorative stone and yard ornaments were sprayed with sealant. Even worse, the excess asphalt was dumped on the street and splashed onto her car, causing more than $1,200 in damage. She immediately tried to stop payment on her check, but it was too late.
"I know better than this. I used to take calls all day, every day with people who got scammed just like this. Like I said, I know better. She played on my heart," Phillips said.
Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's List, warns consumers to be on guard for scams like this one.
"It's sad, but there are unscrupulous contractors out there, so you, as a consumer, need to beware. Be cautious of anyone that comes to your home and tries to encourage you to take a deal on the spot. A deal today should be a deal tomorrow," Hicks said.
Joseph Sulliva, owner of AAA Sealcoating & Asphalt Maintenance, agrees. He’s gotten calls from homeowners who need help cleaning up the mess left behind.
"I get calls all the time: ‘I had this guy over here, there's sealant all over the house,' and unfortunately, I have to tell people there's no way to get it off. You have to start replacing things," Sulliva said.
Maryanna has her guard back up, but said if she can get scammed, anyone can.
"Unfortunately, we live in a world where you just can't really trust a lot of people, so you need to check people out before you hire them out to do a job," she said.
Hicks and Sullivan said quality contractors don't approach homeowners with leftover materials and a special low price. If an uninvited worker won't leave when asked, call local police and stay inside.
