‘I’m sad people do this,’ cries driver who spent $300 on shoddy driveway renovation – it will take another $1,500 to replace

A WOMAN was working in her garden when she was approached about cracks in her concrete – so she had to pay almost $2,000 in repairs.

The crafty criminals told her the material would help melt up to three inches of snow.

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In 2018. Renate Schmidt, a retired homeowner from New Berlin, Wisconsin, had some deep cracks in her concrete driveway that had spread into her garage and needed urgent repairs.

Two other licensed companies quoted her between $1,200 and $1,500 to repave the driveway due to its length.

One day, three men claiming to be from a repaving company working in a nearby garage offered to fix the cracks for just $300.

Schmidt, seeing the huge discount he would receive, didn’t need much convincing.

“He said he would do all this for $300. I thought what a deal!” she told the NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV.

Schmidt was careful to ask the name of the company they work for, but said she got distracted and was redirected to talk to the other workers.

Despite not getting clear answers, she paid the men cash in advance and they began working.

Near her garage was a shiny, uneven patch of concrete, which she tried to say she didn’t want to fix.

“He told me the material will help melt up to three inches of snow,” she said.

“I didn’t even want it to be done! But he said, ‘I’ll show you how beautiful it looks.'”

Before she could ask any more questions, the men asked her for something to drink.

“I said ‘sure,’ so I went in and grabbed three cans of soda and went back to give them to the man,” she recalled.

“They were in the street with the truck, the three of them, and he said ‘I have to go, I have to go! My wife had a heart attack!'”

With no license plate, business name or men’s names, she watched $300 go away, leaving a jagged stain on her already damaged driveway.

How to Avoid a Contractor Scam

Tips to avoid being scammed on a curb, curb or walkway job:

Just because someone shows up at your door wearing a reflective vest, hard hat, and work boots doesn’t mean they come from a reputable contracting company.

A scammer might say he could repave a driveway, walkway or sidewalk for a much cheaper price than the previous contractor told him, appealing to homeowners looking to save thousands on home repairs.

Before you write a check or pay cash for what seems like an offer that’s too good to be true, here are some tips to make sure it’s not a scam.

1. Get three quotes from three different companies to see the variation in prices.
2. Never pay in advance. A reputable company will not accept money upfront as prices vary depending on the job and complications can increase the price.
3. Ask for a contractor’s license. In many states, if you ask to see the license, contractors are legally required to present it.
4. Avoid door-to-door salespeople who say they are in the area working. They often take a deposit and never show up.
5. Avoid paying by cashier’s check, cash or bank transfer. Paying by credit card is the easiest way to dispute if it is fraud.
6. Keep communication in writing, such as email or text, to help protect you if things need to be handled legally and a police report is required.
7. Don’t feel pressured to make an immediate decision. Sometimes scammers create a sense of urgency, but it’s important to take a step back and do some research.

Read more here.

Now, she will have to pay one of the other two companies more to repair the damage and cracks.

Schmidt said he learned his lesson — but his new knowledge came with equal parts heartache.

“I’m really sad that people do this to the elderly,” she said.

“Never, ever do what I let them do.”

New Berlice police captain Mike Glider said it is an operation he has seen many times before.

“They’ll say they’re in the neighborhood, they were working on a neighbor’s driveway, they have leftovers, they have just enough material left over to make yours, we’ll give you a great price,” Glider said.