6 Quick Tips on How to Avoid Making Costly Mistakes When Hiring a Power Washing Company

6 Costly Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid

If you’re like most homeowners you’re probably thinking “how hard could it be”? I’ll just Google Power Wash (my town) and I’ll hire someone.

These days you probably have a better chance at winning the lottery with that method. It’s way too easy for anyone to put up a website using stock photos and claim to be in business for 8-10 years. It’s unfortunate, but you can be whoever you want to be on the internet.

Finding a reputable company with experienced technicians that fits your budget might seem daunting but if you follow these easy steps it should be painless and pretty quick.

1. Ask friends and family for a referral first. This kind of goes without saying but getting a referral from someone that has already used a reputable company is your best bet. You have an unbiased opinion from someone you know.
2. Use search engines with caution. Companies can buy search ranking. Just because they are in the number one position on a page doesn’t mean anything. Try to use the unpaid (organic) listings, which are under the paid listings. Companies are in this position due to longevity, reviews and activity.
3. Read the reviews and how the company responds to the reviews. Sure some can be faked but how the owner handles a poor review or what clients say in good reviews is really important. If they got a poor review and didn’t respond odds are they won’t respond to you if there’s a problem at your home.
4. Get estimates in person. How can a company give you an accurate estimate over the phone? This is not like buying socks on Amazon you’re hiring someone you don’t know to come to your home with employees you don’t know and clean you most expensive asset. Meet them and look at their equipment, uniforms and general appearance. Someone who shows up in a dirty truck with a dirty shirt and dirty hands is not going to do a clean job! Would you want to eat in a restaurant where the cook had food stains all over himself, the floor was filthy and he kept wiping his hands on his pants before touching your food?

5. Check for insurance. This may seem like a no brainer but most small contractors can’t afford insurance and some even go so far as to fake the Certificate of Insurance (COI).  Imagine this. You buy auto insurance on a payment plan and get an insurance card. After month number two you stop paying and they cancel your insurance. You still have the card and there’s no way for the police or anyone else to know you canceled the policy. Same goes for contractors insurance. So here’s what you do. Request a COI from the contractor and make sure it is emailed to you from the insurance agent. DO NOT ACCEPT A COI FROM THE CONTRACTOR it is most likely a fake.  We get asked numerous times a day for COI’s and it takes less than a minute to contact our insurance company and have them send it to you. It is so easy we encourage our clients to ask us for one.

6. When comparing estimates take value into consideration. What does value mean? Look at it this way. If you hire the cheapest company they usually can’t provide value like answering the phone live, meeting with you for the estimate, sending uniformed drug tested employees, showing up on time doing the job right the first time, constant communication from the first contact to the completed job so you don’t have to wonder when they are coming and having top notch equipment. In some cases the cheapest company can’t even provide the functional service right like cleaning your siding or patio right. Value is all the little things that add up to a wonderful, hassle free experience. Our mission is to provide you with the Best Service Anywhere™ our entire company culture revolves around this so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy!

I’m here to help so feel free to contact me a brian@apluspowerwashing.com or 732-775-1242 if you have any questions.