As a business owner, you know that first impressions matter. Customers judge your establishment even before they enter it, and a pothole-riddled parking lot is not exactly a good look. Whether you decide to repave your parking lot or add an extension to fit more patrons, you should start by finding a reliable Maryland paving contractor. You need someone who will do quality work at a reasonable price—not much to ask, but also not that easy to find on today’s market.
Avoid The Red Flags
We’ve talked about residential paving scams in our last post, but some scam artists also target small business owners. If your parking lot looks terrible and you know it needs to be redone, you fit the description of the type of victim the scammers are looking for. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to spot gypsy paving contractors looking to make a quick buck; just be on a lookout for these red flags:
- Paving contractors approach you first with enticing offers.
- Paving contractors are not wearing uniforms and/or there are no signs of branding.
- Vehicles with out-of-state license plates.
- The project manager refuses to provide contact information or has no business cards.
- The company information on the businesses cards, vehicles and uniforms is inconsistent.
Even if you spot a scammer and refuse the service, be sure to have someone watch your business until the “paving guys” leave. There was a recent case where a Florida business owner left for appointments after saying “no” to the paving contractors and they still paved his parking lot without permission. The police called it a civil matter and refused to do anything because no money exchanged hands, even though the contractors were still on site when the police arrived.
Choose the Best
Now that you’ve disqualified scam artists, how do you choose between the many legitimate Maryland paving companies? If you don’t know any local paving companies through referrals, start by doing an internet search. Pick the top three candidates from the search results and study their websites:
- First of all, check the licensing information. If it’s not explicitly displayed on the company’s website, do a search by company or contractor name on the DLLR’s site.
- Then check to make sure the company does Maryland parking lot paving—some companies specialize in paving residential driveways only.
- Look at the portfolio of completed projects to see the quality of work or request photos/references if the company’s website doesn’t showcase their work.
- Contact the company to request an estimate.
In addition to the above, check the company’s BBB accreditation and reviews on the web. Look for the BBB rating of A or higher. You can also search for reviews on sites like Angie’s List or Yelp. If you see several customers complaining about the same issues, move on to the next contractor.
We hope this list will help you make an informed decision when hiring a paving contractor for your parking lot. And feel free to contact 1-855-Got-Paving for a free estimate.
