What can you do if a company won’t honor a warranty? What’s the one question you should always ask a contractor? From home warranties to hiring contractors Amy Davis is getting answers to common questions you ask.
It’s not always easy to know where to go when you need help with a consumer issue. From electricians to mold complaints, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation oversees dozens of industries.
Tela Mange joined Amy Davis for an episode of Ask Amy to help answer some of your questions.
It’s a good price. Why should I care if a contractor is licensed?
Mange says you should always ask for proof that a contractor you hire is licensed to do the work they are performing. Not only will this mean they are trained in the field, it could also cover you if something goes wrong.
“If your homeowner’s insurance gets involved because I don’t know, the electrician wired something incorrectly and your house burned down, the insurance company is likely to say, you know what, you had unlicensed work performed. That’s what caused this issue. We’re not going to pay off the damage right home. So it’s really, really important as a consumer to make sure that you ask for a license number and that you confirm on the dealer website that the license number actually matches the person whose name is on the license. Because people are not truthful sometimes.”
You can check the license numbers on the TDLR website.
I can’t get the home warranty or appliance warranty company to pay up, help!
Mange says people assume - wrongly - if something breaks having a warranty means you’ll get it replaced. She says you should ask questions first.
“What we find when people are complaining is oftentimes they assume or they think that they were told something, but they didn’t actually read the contract. So, you know, you have to ask what all is covered, right. Who decides whether something’s going to get repaired, versus replaced? Some home warranties will cover, repairs up to a certain amount. And then if it was going to cost more than that, they will say, well, well, you’re responsible for the rest of it. And no, we won’t replace it if we can’t repair it. So some, some, warranties will say we can’t fix it. We’ll get you a new one. If they do that, is it going to be the same level?”
If you are at a standstill with a warranty company - or if you can’t get in touch with anyone TDLR can help. They have a residential services ombudsman.
This is a person who will advocate for you and help come to a resolution.
You can request an appointment with TDLR here.
What can I do if I get bad gasoline in my car?
You may not know until you get down the road - if you got bad gas in your car. So what can you do? This is another area TDLR oversees. Mange says you should start by always getting a reciept.
“If you have the receipt, it has all the information on there that you’re going to need. When you file a complaint, it’s going to have the date, it’s going to have the time. It’s going to have the pump where you purchased, you know, which pump you bought the gas out of. I’ve had folks contact us and say, well, they didn’t have a receipt at the pump and they should have a receipt at the pump. Well, that’s a convenience. If they don’t have it at the pump, then it’s going to be a little inconvenient and you have to go inside. Now if you go inside and you ask for a receipt and they won’t give you one, then yes, file a complaint with us. But always they’re going to want to give you a receipt to get the receipt. Contact us as soon as something goes wrong with the engine.”
MORE: Steps to take if you have a dispute with a business
“Because what happens, especially in Texas, people drive a lot. There’s a lot of gas. It’s being delivered every day to gas stations. And so if you have a problem and then a week later contact us and say, hey, I had problems with the gas. We go out there. If they’ve already gotten another supply of gasoline, then it’s going to get rid of the tainted gas,” said Mange.
“So they’ve already used all that on everyone’s vehicle and gotten a new load. And how do you know it was bad?,” asks Amy Davis.
“You know, we can test it, but it’s going to be probably fine. So contact us for a complaint as soon as possible. At the same time contact the gas station and say i had this thing happen. Here’s the date. I have my receipt. Yeah. And, you know, I have proof that I purchased gas at your station, and then within an hour or two hours or a day or whatever, i started having problems. Most gas stations want to know that.”
Here’s more on what to do if you get bad gasoline.
In the full Ask Amy episode, Mange also covers complaints from renters about mold in their homes or apartments. What they should do… what the landlord is and is not required to do?