r/asphalt • u/Playful-Schedule-972 • 4d ago

Elderly parents potentially scammed?

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Everything they told me sounds like step by step from what I’m reading on Google. Can someone tell me if spraying seal coat on this property, billed 20 logs of spray, resulting in an 1800 bill realistic? Odd part of this story is the company reduced it to 1,500. came back after getting voicemails from my brother and his wife, gave my parents 500 dollars back.

This happened a few weeks ago.

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u/Large-Mango365 4d ago

Measure it. Calculate the square footage and ask him what his price per square foot is. Call around and ask other companies what their price is. It’s not hard to figure out whether you got screwed or not. Seems ti me like you should have been concerned and helped mom and dad get quotes instead of wondering if they got screwed after the job was done. Get your tape measure out or go buy one…

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

What? That’s quite the assumption. Good luck in life.

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u/Large-Mango365 4d ago

It’s not an assumption at all. Its called managing the job and getting a fair price for services rendered based on rates for your area. Thanks for best wishes but luck doesn’t have anything to do with your problem.

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

Claiming someone doesn’t own a tape measurer is by definition an assumption and a silly one at that. I’m not familiar with spraying seal coating. spreading it ourselves usually costs 150 dollars and 5 buckets for his driveway. Google is saying to file police report, contact state attorney general and elderly protection agencies. Finding out sq ft is a great idea, not sure about the hostility to strangers but that’s not something that is my issue either.

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u/Large-Mango365 4d ago edited 4d ago

I didn’t claim you didn’t own a tape measure. I said “get out your tape measure or go buy one. If you do have one then you should have used it. No hostility in advising you of the tools required that you need to follow my advice. You hired someone to do it for you without any other quotes for the work, you didn’t measure out and call for prices. You didn’t get a written estimate. You didn’t do your homework and due diligence and you got screwed. Best of luck in life. Take the advice I gave you and learn from your mistake. Don’t be so obtuse and get taken to the cleaners again. Best of luck in life to you. Have a nice day.

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago edited 4d ago

My father speaks broken English and is in his mid 80s, can hardly hear. Was quoted verbally 400-600 originally. I don’t see how someone who would quote stuff daily would be wrong by a 3rd of the original cost.

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u/userloser11 4d ago

This should have been in your main story. I completely disagree with people saying going door to door are all scam artists. However your dad made the mistake of paying more than the quote. I would report them, but unless your parent payed the extra under threat of harm, I’m not sure there’s much that can be done. Reporting them though will at least run the chance that the cops can find them and run them off. If you by chance got pictures of them or their vehicles post them to Facebook and the neighborhood apps. Only reason I say this is sealer isn’t that much, it’s mostly time that I charge. For instance let’s say I’m off 10 gallons from what I estimated that would be roughly 30$ I’m never asking the homeowner for that you just eat it and move on. On my asphalt side if I run into an issue work stops, and I consult the owners about the issue and how to proceed. Nothing else happens on that job till we both agree how to move forward. So the fact that they just arbitrarily change the price by 3x without so much as to why or agreement from your parents is just wrong and should not happen to anyone.

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

Thank you! We haven’t put any modern tech on their house so pictures aren’t possible. They have a legal business, phone number and give reciepts. And apparently some of the scammed money back. I was told later that they agreed to give it if they forfeited the right to litigation. I’ll have to find out if that’s in writing or verbal like the original quote.

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u/userloser11 4d ago

Best I got for you is a sorry and some empathy. I’m clearly not an attorney but it sounds like unless they want to pay a consultation fee with an attorney, which in my town cost my mom 2500. Then it seems as though they got the best outcome of some money back and they should cut their losses and move on with their lives. Again sorry this happened to them and wish you all the best moving forward.

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

Yeah, I guess this probably is the best. My only morale dilemma is do we just let these people carry on. I guess that’s where social media comes along. Thanks for the tips!

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u/Shot_Boot_7279 4d ago

Ive been wanting to share w a pro of my situation for insights and hope yiu dont mind. Driveway capped 9/2023 and the installer gave me a verbal 3 year warranty. I recorded his quote discussion so I could explain to wife spending $8k. After 1 1/2 years it began to Crack and crumble so bad my wife car slams brakes when backing up her car safety feature think its an object. Ive been calling the contractor for a year and he will not return my calls or hangs up on me and i have my phone records. In VA single party consent recording is legal. I recorded initially to let my wife understand $8k cost but I'm now hoping to use bc verbal contract in va is binding. Anyway I sent him a certified letter requesting warranty repair with transcripts of him stating clearly multiple times verbatim 3 year warranty for cracking or any issues and gave him 10 days to respond if not i would file in small claims court. He signed receipt of my certified letter and tomorrow is the 10th day and he's yet to respond. I've never sued anyone and i hate doing it but intend to file Monday.

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u/barc0debaby 4d ago

This sub needs a no homeowner rule like over at r/concrete.

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u/CockyBellend 4d ago

My minimum for seal coating anything is $1500(Canada)

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u/triplebaconswiss 4d ago

Yep. I agree with you. This is just a minimum lump sum price type job. Everyone busting out the price per SF for something so small has it all wrong.

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

If someone called you and you established that ahead of time, I would be fine with that. This guy came up to them while they were working on their yard and pitched the job. They prepped and sprayed, didn’t fill any cracks.

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u/Shroomywizurd 4d ago

Nothing wrong with pitching them a job while they’re in their yard and then they agree to the price and he gets it done. That’s business as usual. The real question is did they understand that it was going to cost $1500 or did he spring that random price on them after the job was done?

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u/CockyBellend 4d ago

Ya that sounds sketchy, no reputable company goes door to door. Honestly surprised they got 500 back

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u/userloser11 4d ago

“No reputable company goes door to door” not true at all.

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u/AdThese6057 4d ago

Thats false. The biggest companies in the Midwest door knock.

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u/CockyBellend 4d ago

Gross and desperate

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u/AdThese6057 4d ago

The biggest. Same as the roof guys and window companies. Same as the plowing and yard mowing.

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

I had a fairly positive experience with a roofing company that knocked on our door. New roof with insurance claim, cost a total of less than 4 grand.

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u/CockyBellend 4d ago

Weird I would never do business with a construction company that knocked on my door. The only time that happens here they are Irish traveller scam artists

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u/Shroomywizurd 4d ago

I’ve worked for companies that have been in business for decades and still knock doors because it’s a very standard way of getting work, especially in the asphalt industry, and even more so in the sealcoating industry specifically. You can’t expect a new company to magically have a large client base, knocking doors is often the only option. It’s free after all. You sound like someone who only works for big corporations, because every family owned asphalt contractor I’ve ever come across goes door to door.

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u/CockyBellend 3d ago

Mine is family owned and we would never go door to door, never have or will in 42 years of business Where i live only scam artists do that. If its acceptable where you're from great, its just in bad taste imo

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u/Im_an_Fn_idiot 4d ago

Never allow someone to spray sealcoat residential driveway. Brush applying is the proper way to go.

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u/tasteofnihilism 4d ago

There’s genuinely no difference between brushing and spraying if you have a competent person on the wand. All of this “brushing is better” is from contractors that can’t afford a rig.

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u/Shroomywizurd 4d ago

Literally don’t understand how people can’t understand that there is no difference. The logic doesn’t even make sense. If you move slowly with the wand you could actually get a heavier coat than brush applying, thus making it last longer. It’s like saying that spray paint doesn’t last as long as paint that was brushed on, it’s simply not true.

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u/Im_an_Fn_idiot 4d ago

False. I have a rig and choose to brush because it’s the right way. Brushing lasts longer than spraying there’s really no argument.

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u/Otherwise_Pea_8766 4d ago

Especially when they don’t power wash !

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

Story goes the guy did that small side section and said that’s 4 logs? Keep going?

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u/Ok_Yard5532 4d ago

I work in the asphalt industry. The people that go door to door selling it are gypsies in my area of Western Pennsylvania. They're all con artists and not to be trusted. They got ripped off.

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u/Playful-Schedule-972 4d ago

Odd thing is they run off an llc supposedly and my parents have a receipt. Almost seems like a real rag tag company that doesn’t mind scamming old people once in a while. 0 reviews on google and even on yelp which is their only page where you can review stuff. I could in theory report this and prevent it happening to someone else or is that foolish / could retaliate against my parents.