Every industry faces a common problem, and those are customer complaints. No matter which industry, it is not possible to nail down your job in a way that it never receives any complaint. But just because it’s inevitable does not mean we are suggesting you ignore them. Unfortunately, this year the home improvement sector has ranked second amongst all industries in the highest number of complaints after the automotive industry as per a report by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). Of course, this is not the list you would like to be in, let alone holding the 2nd spot. What is even worse is that this is the second consecutive year when the home improvement industry has ranked in the top 3 of this list. Is your home improvement business, too, been an active contributor to the list? You must have heard “when life gives you a lemon, make a lemonade”. Well, it’s time for you to make some lemonade.
The positive thing we can take from this fact is that with such an enormous list of complaints against the industry, it leaves a good deal of scope for improvement. Goes without saying, for improvement, you first need to figure out the problem area. In this blog, we’ve listed the top complaints in the consumer complaint survey report by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA).
Shabby Work
People taking up projects like home improvement expect results and often have little tolerance towards inferior quality service. The clients might have imagined a certain standard in their head and will look to drop a complaint if you’re not able to stand up to it. Along with the complaints regarding shabby work, another one that surfaced was their contractor’s inability to meet timelines. Home improvement projects are a huge responsibility. Incomplete or low-quality home improvement projects not only cause disruption in your client’s day-to-day life but can turn out to be dangerous as well.
Big Money Equals Big Risks
The amount of money involved in home improvement projects can be astronomical. Although there are many ways to pay for a home remodel, it still does not change the fact that a huge amount of money is involved. If your clients agree to spend thousands of dollars on your services, the chances of them dropping a complaint about the tiniest mistake are more. Also, it’s not just the money, but we’re talking about a space they are living in and spending most of their time; they will expect the job to be impeccable.
Permits and Licences
How confident will you be if you get to know that the person driving you around the city has no driver’s license? Surprisingly enough, many people reported contractors with inappropriate or insufficient licensing. If you are one of them, then the first thing you should be rushing for tomorrow morning is getting your license work up-to-date.
Also, while opting for a home improvement project, one thing that is quite difficult to get your hands on is a proper permit. Procuring permits requires passing inspections which are customarily quite strict and can take a long time to get approved. But it’s all worth in the long run.
Getting these many amounts of complaints means there is still a long way to go for the home improvement industry to reach a respectable stage. Now that you have spotted the complaints, it’s time to deal with them. To begin with, you can click here for tips on building a healthy client-contractor relationship.
To further improve your services, you can sign up with CustomFin. We have helped many contractors provide easy financing options to their clients. To know more about us, you may feel free to contact our friendly customer service team for assistance.
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