How to Avoid Contractor Scams

Name: Great Northern Insulation
Telephone: 1-800-265-1914

April 10, 2019

Above all else, Great Northern Insulation values the trust that all of our customers put in us to go above and beyond in all of our communication, installations, and follow-ups. Our sales consultants, customer experience team, insulation installers, and staff throughout our organization receive glowing, personalized reviews from many of our customers. We would not have it any other way. Unfortunately, there are people with no affiliation to Great Northern Insulation who take advantage of the trust that you have placed in us. We want to help you avoid contractor scams.

The Story of a Contractor Scam

Recently, a homeowner was receiving what they thought was an air duct cleaning service. The person who claimed to be cleaning their air ducts also claimed that they worked for Great Northern Insulation, and asked to see her attic. Upon ‘inspection’ she was told that she would benefit from a top-up. She agreed, especially with the rebates available. After the installation was complete, she noticed that the quality of the install was not to the standards that she expected from Great Northern Insulation.

She was right to be suspicious – it was not an employee of Great Northern Insulation that she had spoken to. Luckily, she contacted the police and informed us of the scam.

We do not want the same to happen to you. Unfortunately, scammers are good at what they do, and it can be easy to become a victim of misrepresentation. That is why it is always important to be certain you are dealing with the contractor you believe you are dealing with. So, what are some steps you can take to prevent contractor scams?

Three Steps to Avoid Contractor Scams

1. Make Sure It’s A GNI Employee

There are a few ways to make sure you are speaking with one of our sales consultants. First, our sales consultants will always leave behind a GNI branded business card, complete with their phone number and work email (granted, they may occasionally have run out because of a busy day!). If they do not leave a business card behind, they should still leave you with their contact information, including their work email address. Their email address will always end with our domain, ‘@gni.ca’. If you are suspicious at all, you can always contact us to double check.

2. Understand Our Quoting Process

At Great Northern Insulation, transparency is something we hold dear. We send you a full quote broken down by each item, so you can select exactly what you want for your home. After you have accepted the quote, we schedule the work to be done on your home with trained insulation installers. The sales consultant will never install insulation. In the story above, the person who sold the homeowner the insulation also installed it, and although the quote had “GNI” written on it, it did not contain our official letterhead.

3. Do Your Research on the Contractor

Before moving forward with any contractor, you should always do your research. Never accept a quote on the spot. It might be difficult to conduct quality research on a newer company, or a mom and pop shop, but established companies will have thousands of reviews that are easy to find. You can find a lot of useful information in these reviews, including personal experiences with the company. If your experiences are different – like someone only accepting cash or pressuring you to pay cash – take this as a red flag.

At GNI, we have a customer experience team dedicated to answering your calls and questions. If you still have questions, you can always contact us by calling 1-800-265-1914.