Contractor's Bid Too Low? Don't Bite.

Azaleas and tulips aren't the only visitors that breeze into Washington each spring.

A more ominous presence usually arrives just in time for what Eric Friedman, director of the Montgomery County office of consumer protection, calls "high hunting season for hit-and-run contractors."

"They are like the perennial flowers in spring and fall," said Friedman, director of the department's office of consumer protection. "These guys just come out, usually with out-of-state license plates, and show up at your front door for work."

Friedman said the contractors throw out what he considers classic lines. They claim to have "extra materials from another job" and offer a too-good-to-be-true price, or tell homeowners their house will be used as a showcase for the contractor's business, he said. The offer is usually coupled with pressure to put large amounts of cash money down or sign a contract immediately. Once the money is collected, they either do no work or bad work and leave without a trace.

The lure is the bottom line, said Mary Broz, director of communications, legislation and consumer education at the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. People are attracted to the lowest price.

"I know people who will spend hours clipping coupons for the grocery store and meticulously researching which car to buy," Broz said. "But these same people will not spend that kind of time researching who is going to be working on their most valuable asset, their home."

Broz said that of the scams that are reported and proceed to court, at least $1 million in restitution is ordered for Virginians every year.

Friedman said that contractor scams are such a serious problem because there is little recourse if an unlicensed contractor successfully steals money and skips town.

That is why it is always best to work with a contractor whose license checks out, said Edward Johnson, president and chief executive of the Better Business Bureau that covers the Washington region.

"If you choose to work with someone with no license, with a lower price than everyone else, the consumer needs to go into the project with their eyes wide open," Johnson said.

"Making a decision based on price is not always a good indicator of quality. The lesson here is that it is wise to do your due diligence. The extra effort you make to research up front will pay dividends in the end," he said.

Seung and Grace Paik of Alexandria admit they didn't do all of their homework when it came to hiring Craig J. Oliver, who was convicted last year of scamming 68 Virginia and Maryland homeowners out of more than $2.5 million from 2002 to 2005.