I've been waiting for a remodeling contractor to call me back for three weeks, should I keep waiting?

Q:

I called a remodeling contractor but they didn’t call me back and it’s been 3 weeks, should I keep waiting or try someone else?

A:

Good remodeling contractors are usually busy throughout the entire year no matter what season it is or the conditions of the economy. But a remodeling contractor that can’t find the time to call you back after 3 weeks is not just busy they are unorganized.

If you run a successful remodeling business it’s not just because you are good at making people’s houses look great, it’s also because you are organized and have the proper policies in place so that your staff know what to do at all times no matter what scenario.

A well run remodeling business will have a plan in place that will require someone to call you back and make an appointment to meet with you; this should happen even if they are so busy they cannot take on anymore work. If they are so busy that they cannot help you at that time they should be able to meet with you to discuss your project and then give you a date that they would be able to start it.

This could be as far ahead as a year from now, it doesn’t mean that they expect you to wait a year for them to come but it’s a courteously and professional thing to be able to tell the person what your current timeline looks like. They do this not anticipating that you will wait for them, they do it so that in the future when are planning another renovation you will think to give them a call because of how professional they treated you even though they didn’t have too.

A lot of remodeling contractors are really busy and can’t call people back because they don’t have the proper office staff to handle it, they are running their company with little to no staff or management.
This is the kind of person that you want to avoid, they might not be able to present you with proper bills or show up when you have a warranty issue.

The best kind of remodeling company is the kind that has somewhere you can walk in and has an office staff, this means that there is always somewhere to go and talk to a real person or complain if that’s what you need to do. This kind of remodeling company will not be cheap as they will have more overhead then the average carpenter with a pickup truck but that also means that they rely on happy customers and repeat customers more than the guy with the truck.

Your remodeler shouldn’t be the cheapest, which means that they are doing everything legally and will be able to take care of all your needs and wants. The cost of construction is the cost of construction if the company is really inexpensive then there usually is a reason and that reason is usually not a good one.

You’ve been waiting for a call for 3 weeks, I’d start calling other companies, look around and ask people you know, if they liked the work they had done then they will probably refer someone to you.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.