Nearly 100 People a Year Rolled by Paving Fraud in Connecticut

The Better Business Bureau of Connecticut is warning people that paving contractor fraud rises to the surface in hot weather.

Since April 2013, driveway paving scams were reported in Dedham, MA., Woodbridge, VA., Wellesley, MA., Johnson City, TN., Wappingers Falls, NY., Pittsburgh, PA., Menomonee Falls, WI., Manassas Park, VA., and other locations.

Consumers complained that paving contractors didn’t grade their driveways properly, causing formation of puddles and flooding, used poor quality or insufficient quantities of asphalt, and that pavement sagged or cracked.

The BBB warns that at this time of year, contractors show up in Connecticut neighborhoods and go door-to-door to offer cut-rate prices. They talk about materials they have left over from someone else's driveway. It sounds like they're doing you a favor and you're doing them a favor.

The BBB tells consumers to get three bids. 
Check references.
Are they part of the trade association? The BBB said it is called the National Asphalt Pavement Association. 
Get the bid in writing.
Pay by check or credit card. 
Write down the license plate numbers.
If you get buyer's remorse, you have three days to cancel a job agreed to at your home, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Police departments urge people to refuse to talk to these people. (See this article from Dedham.patch.com.) Do not let them into your house and to report them to the police.

This information came from the BBB blog on Ridgefield Patch. It is available here. For more help from the Better Business Bureau, check their website: http://ct.bbb.org/bbb-news.