Iowans may be getting more door knocks and phone calls lately from businesses and individuals offering to help out with lawn care, tree trimming and clean-up work.
While many of them may be legitimate, Bess Ellenson with the Better Business Bureau says there are plenty of scamers out there looking to take advantage of you in the spring season. “We always recommend that people get everything that is supposed to be done in writing,” Ellenson says, “so if something happens where you don’t get the work you want done, the work that they did falls through, you have a little more grounds to fight.”
Ellenson says one test of a company’s legitimacy is finding out if they’re insured — as required by the state. If they’re not, the business could be shady and you could end up paying, one way or the other. Ellenson says, “Let’s say you hire somebody to come trim some trees and they don’t have insurance and they’re on a ladder and they fall, you could be liable for that, you could be liable for their injuries.”
She recommends getting multiple quotes for any job you want done and always bring the company out to your property in person to get the most accurate estimates. Research prospective yard companies at BBB.org.