AVON LAKE, Ohio — Katie Rivera of Avon Lake said she had to endure a three-month battle with her asphalt paving contractor just to get a driveway that was marginally acceptable.
Rivera told News 5 she paid thousands of dollars back in June for her new driveway but said the initial work was far from what she expected. Rivera showed News 5 a series of pictures of the process.
"I was very optimistic at first; he said he was willing to come out the very next day, and he told me he was going to have the driveway done by the end of the week and it was going to be professional and beautiful,” Rivera said. “I was under the impression there was going to be a two-inch base of gravel and limestone to go down so that the driveway would last a very long time."
“It literally looked like sand, you could barely see any stones in any of it, a very thin layer. And like three days later I had weeds growing through it, full weeds just popping up through the pavement. When they came back out, they didn’t add anything, they just put a very thin layer of pavement over the very thin prep and then they said they were done. The driveway retains water and creates puddles. They put some little heater thing over it for a half-hour and then they left and it didn’t fix the problem.”
News 5 has decided not to name the company because they have been willing to work with Katie to improve her driveway. Katie urged consumers to run extensive online background checks on paving contractors you're considering before signing a contract and issuing any money.
Cleveland Better Business Bureau Director of Operations, Ericka Dilworth said homeowners need to check a contractor's record on the BBB website and check with the Ohio Attorney General.
“You can do something just as simple as Googling the company name, or Googling the phone number for the company and see what’s out there, see what people are saying about the business," Dilworth said. “If you can please pay with a credit card because when you pay with a credit card there are some built-in protections. If you pay with cash, you have little or no protection if something goes sideways, and so that’s why we would always recommend that you use your credit card.”
Dilworth said it's also essential to ask for a contractor's customer references and take the time to go and see samples of their paving work.
"Speak with consumers, what kind of experience did they have, was the work good, did they get what was paid for," Dilworth said. "I think that if the contractor is hesitant to give you references, then that should also be a red flag for you."
Meanwhile, Rivera said consumers shouldn't be afraid to speak up if they believe a job is not completed correctly.
“Be persistent and don’t give it up, don’t let them bully you and scare you away from going any further," Rivera said. " Just stand your ground and find your voice and be consistent about it.”
