We receive countless emails every year from people across Indiana who are unhappy with the condition of their gutters and/or gutter guards and the contractors they hired.
Homeowners only have one chance to pick the right gutter installer for their home, so it’s important to choose wisely whether you’re looking for gutters or gutter guards.
But even though we know better, we continue to choose poorly.
I always wanted to give one main piece of advice that would make a huge difference for people looking for gutters and/or gutter guard contractors. Although we have other articles discussing how to properly choose your contractor, today I want to focus on this primary suggestion.
What is this key advice?
In the end, it all comes down to references.
Some individuals might assume that they know everything they need to in order to hire a contractor, but there is more process than just asking for references. Here is the right way to go about it:
How to Get the Most Out of References From Your Gutter Installer
Let’s pretend you have a gutters contractor in your house who is giving you an estimate for your out-of-pocket gutter project or wants to represent you for your insurance claim. Before asking your potential gutter partner for their reference list, try asking this question first.
How many gutters did your crews install last year?
This might seem like a straightforward question, but it’s really not. Every gutter installer will likely inflate the number of gutter they did last year in order to appear larger than they actually are.
Your next question should be the real decider:
Can I please see your reference list from last year?
Let’s assume the contractor said he installed 20 gutters in 2021.
In other words, if you only receive 10 references, this means that 50% of people were satisfied with your work.
What do you think about those odds?
Time and time again, I’ve been amazed at how many people have told me that contractors refuse to give out names due to “privacy issues.”
This is false.
Gutters installation is our company’s specialty and in the years we’ve been doing it, only two of our customers have ever asked to not be listed as a reference – and that’s because they were celebrities.
Consider this for a moment- out of over 1000 people, not a single person has said no. The reason is easy to understand.
If you’re planning to pick a gutter installer in the next few months, please do what I suggest.
If a gutter installer denies your request for references, move on. You deserve honesty and transparency in business dealings, so don’t settle for less.
You could save a lot of trouble and money by taking this step.
Use your head and follow this suggestion.
I’m confident that this will work for you too.
Up Next:
How to Hire a Gutter or Gutter Guards Contractor: the Ultimate Checklist