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Question? Would you hire a bathtub refinishing contractor who was using a "FAKE" address...?
Would you be surprised that over 80% of them are doing just that...? Why are they doing this?
Let's show you how to find them in 2 simple steps...
When searching for a refinishing contractor,
I recommend you go to Google Maps. And type in your key word.
Now you can see all the service providers in your local area. 80 percent of these guys
are using fake addresses. Let me show you. Here we have one under an interstate, this
is their office, the address they gave Google. Here's one at a hotel.
Here's one in the middle of the street. If the address was associated with a home
it would be up on the property, not in the street. Google doesn't know where to place
the marker. Here's another one in the middle of an intersection.
Here's another one, there's no business associated with the address.
Here we have one at a professional building. Let's take a look at the placard, their
name should be on it. If you left click you should be able to get a little closer.
Scroll in.
Real-estate, title, attorney, attorney, dentist, therapist, attorney, attorney, insurance.
There no refinishing contractor at this location. These guys are using fake addresses, they
don't want you to be able to show up at their home. Knock on their door. If you have
a problem or complaint they can easily ignore you.
Lets take a look at what it should look like. Here the map icon is not on the street, it's
off the road. You have to be careful you don't go to the wrong road looking for it, so you
might have to jump around. Scroll in Left click and drag the map and drag it around.
There's the map icon, it's on the property, not in the street this is what you're looking for.
Here's another trick. Type in a company name you're thinking about using. When you
put it in Google Maps, it should be the only icon. It shouldn't have multiple icons or
none. Means there's a problem. Let's take a look.
One thing I want you to know about the new Google Maps is they recently updated it, and
unless they fix it soon, the map icons don't show up on the business.
So I want you to go down here, click on this and go to classic Google Maps. Our business is showing, lets scroll in.
Now once you get down to street view, you
need to make sure this little man is showing, if he's not showing and this is blank, these
streets have not been indexed by Google and this won't work.
So we can either grab the little man and put the little green pad next to the icon or we
can simply scroll in. This is what you are looking for, the map
icon is associated with the building it's not in the street.
We can scroll in. You can see my company, we got the door open. We'd love to have you
stop by, that's our warehouse, here's our showroom and office we are not hiding.
You need to do your homework, research, there's so much sketchy stuff going on.
I got a couple things more for you. Here's a company that looks like they have
three locations Copy their phone number, go to Google.
Reverse phone lookup, you don't see their company name, this is call forwarding.
Type in a real phone number you get the company. This is the second step on how to find these
guys. You're looking for call forward, looking
for fake address, why would you want to hire them?
Another little trick is to type in a company's name you're thinking of using and add complaint
or ripoff. And see if they have any problems. This is
my company no complaints. Some of these companies are riddled with complaints.
Just a little tip to help you out. I've got another bonus for you, I'm going
to let About.com answer it. How much to refinish a bathtub, they got a good little article
right here. This fellow is considering getting his bathtub
refinished and wants to know if it's a scam and the average cost and is it worth it.
Answer: Bathtub refinishing is in danger of entering the pantheon of home remodeling semi-scams
-- along with vinyl siding and replacement windows.
Quality: quality varies from company to company, and in an informal poll of some homeowners
who have had tubs refinished, quality seems to hinge on one thing: preparation. A poorly
prepared bathtub results in peeling paint and unhappy homeowners.
As important as preparation is, I would also argue that the quality of the materials and
the application technique of the applicator is equally important.
Good preparations included etching of the bathtub surface for mechanical adhesion, a
quality silane coupling agent applied for chemical adhesion, a bonding primer and a
protective top coat. I personally recommend polyester polyurethane
verses acrylic urethanes or epoxy. The polyester component adds what they call
a friction surface, makes it resist scratching, lays out beautifully and it's just the proper
product for this application. Cost: Cost also varies, but most homeowners
appear to be spending around $550 for the service. Some homeowners say that they have
paid $250 - $300 for bathtub refinishing, but these also tend to be the homeowner's
complaining about poor quality. With bathtub replacement costing between 3
and 5 thousand, this is a great deal. This was done back in 2010 so your mileage my vary.
These guys are the ones hiding their location, hiding their phone number, good luck trying
to get a guarantee, they can easily ignore you.
So to get a quality job, find a legitimate company and be willing to pay a fair price.
So now you know, why it's important not to shop by price.
Do your homework and use Classic Google Maps to help find a legitimate company.
Be sure to see our video on how to check for proper licensing and insurance and why it's
critical to do so. This has been Paul Burns from Porcelain Tub
Restorations at BathRenovationHQ.com, I hope you've enjoyed this video and I hope I've
been helpful, good luck with your project.