Asphalt: Beware of Door-to-door Vendors
17 January 2019
Asphalt: Beware of Door-to-door Vendors
The doorbell rings at your door and someone is here to suggest that you redo your asphalt and you hesitate between accepting or refusing. To avoid unpleasant surprises, here are a few points to check before succumbing.
What is a door-to-door vendor?
- A merchant who offers you, in person or through a representative, a good or service in your home.
- A merchant with whom you enter into a contract at your home for, for example, the repair or installation of an asphalt driveway.
- A trader who sells his services outside the place where his business is located.
What you need to know
The itinerant merchant must hold a permit from the Consumer Protection Office when the good or service offered is worth more than $25. This explains why the law does not regulate the actions of young chocolate sellers ringing at your door.
The permit certifies that the itinerant trader undertakes to compensate you in the event of a problem, for example, if he cannot honor the guarantee he has offered you on your asphalt or if he does not complete the work on time.
However, this does not justify whether or not a trader is honest or competent. That is why it is important to think twice before signing anything under pressure.
In fact, it is possible to check if the merchant holds a permit on the Consumer Protection Office’s website.
The asphalt on the left is new, it was made with a vibrating plate rather than a road roller to save money and has deformations.
The Risks
Poor work and no reimbursement are the main risks of doing business with a clandestine company. Always make sure you have a receipt. Doing business with a mobile salesperson may cost you more money than it saves you, and you may not benefit from any after-sales service.
When a roving salesperson comes to your door, be careful. Some individuals have even paid a deposit without ever seeing the color of the asphalt. Avoid paying a contractor before the work begins.
In some cases, asphalt and gravel are so thin to save money that grass and ants’ nests pass through them, it’s poor quality work. Of course, in the most obvious cases, you can always sue the entrepreneur through the Small Claims Court, but the company must still be in business.
The problem? Most of its underground companies change their names every year to protect themselves from prosecution. It is therefore impossible to ever see the color of your money again. Be sure to check to see if the company you are considering doing business with did similar quality work at least three years ago.
Good contractors also do commercial or multi-residential work. In this case, they are licensed from the RBQ. This ensures that they have been in business for several years and demonstrate a minimum of seriousness and competence.
Poor quality asphalt is sometimes so thin that grass and ants’ nests pass through it.
Some Advice
Always check the contract to ensure that it contains the permit number and contact information. You also have 10 days to change your mind and cancel the contract.
Are you still hesitating?
It is better to trust your intuition and refer to a trusted company. At Pavage Massie, we offer unparalleled service to our customers and ensure that the work is carried out with the highest quality standards.
