SASKATOON – Dan Pandachuck thought he did everything right.
Before he hired someone to build a pole shed on his farm, he called the Better Business Bureau and found no complaints against the person.
So he signed a contract and construction began.
But a year after the building was supposed to have been completed, he’s left with what he calls an expensive mess. He says he can’t use the building because it’s badly built – poles used in its construction are crooked and a window was even put in upside down.
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Pandachuck has since ordered the contractor to stay off his property.
“For once in our life we thought we would hire somebody to do us a good job and we could just forget about it,” said Pandachuck, who lives near Beaverlodge, in northern Alberta.
“I sold land to pay for this thing and it just makes you sick when you’ve got that amount of money tied up in a building that looks the s–, that could fall down any time almost.”
Even though Pandachuck checked out the contractor with the Better Business Bureau and found no warnings, bureau manager Ross Bradford said consumers should be wary if there is no record at all at the bureau.
“It should be an alarm bell,” said Bradford. “If they are giving a business that we don’t have a record of, we’d suggest that they be awfully careful and take some further steps to ensure that they are dealing with a reputable company.”
Bradford said consumers can check out businesses with provincial licensing authorities to see if the necessary approvals are in place.
In Saskatchewan, a great deal can be learned about a company by checking with the corporations branch of the provincial government. Deputy director Monte Curle said a company’s name, nature, incorporation date, address and a brief description can be gained through a phone call. As well, anyone who operates a business under its own business name must be licensed.
In Alberta, anyone who accepts money up front for any work must be licensed, said Lance Abram of Alberta Consumer Affairs. That includes any money of any type, including deposits, so consumers dealing with a business that demands some pre-payment can be checked out with the government.
All licensed companies must post a bond. But licences are not required for companies that do the work first and get paid afterward, Abram said.
If a pre-paid contractor does not have a provincial licence, one cannot assume they are bad, Abram said, “but unfortunately we have a high number of cases we see where no licence means lousy work.”
Pandachuck said the experience has left him feeling hurt, even though he thought he did all he could to protect himself. But he’s trying to put it behind him.
“How long can you go on,” he asked. “It’s been a year now and I’d like to get on with my life.”
