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Beginning my 11th
year in business up here it still shocks me and
frustrates me to see how many painting companies carry
no insurance and pay their employees under the table
without carrying any workman’s compensation insurance.
Home owners that hire these contractors are not only
being cheated by some contractor that puts on a good act
and seems like Mr. Nice Guy but are putting themselves
at great risk because accidents can and will happen.
Painting can be a very dangerous job working up high
ladders, walking on steep metal roofs, the use of
electric power equipment can cause serious injuries even
death. Without proper insurance you the owner can and
most likely will be sued and can be held liable for all
expenses, including medical bills and lost wages for
years.
Mike Orloff Painting has always carried a $2,000,000.00
liability insurance policy and provides worker’s
compensation insurance for all of his employees through
California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund program.
Liability insurance is a must in case that ladder falls
across your car or a frayed extension cord burns down
your beautiful home. I‘ll never understand why anybody
would put their own lively-hood at risk and other
people’s lively-hood at risk with out carrying proper
insurance.
Before hiring a contractor it’s
always a good idea to check their license status and to
make sure they even have a license. You can contact the
California State License Board (CSLB) by phone at
1-800-321-CSLB or visit their website at
Contractors State
License Board. They are there to protect you,
the consumer, not the contractor.
Checking to see if a
contractor’s employees are covered by worker’s
compensation is almost impossible. Their contractor’s
license will show that they have compensation insurance
but it will not tell you that it covers any of their
employees. Even calling the insurance provider will
not confirm employee coverage. I have done a lot of
research into this problem and there’s no real way to
check. It is up to you the consumer to be diligent and
check references. Check with the Better Business Bureau
for any complaints. We at Mike Orloff Painting have been
in good standing with all applicable agencies from the
very beginning and are very proud of it!
When hiring a
contractor your most important tool is references.
Since we work in such a limited community looking at
recently completed projects and talking to previous
customers will generally be your best indicator of
performance and quality. It’s easy for any contractor to
give a low estimate, but as the old saying goes, “you
get what you pay for”. For most of us our home or homes
are our biggest asset and should be treated as so.
Quality costs. It is far wiser to pay a higher price for
a quality job now than to pay less for a cheap job only
to have to do it again when it begins failing in a year
or two.
Every single painting
contractor has their own way of painting. I grew up in
the painting business and have a life time of experience
and pride myself in only high quality work. I always try
my best to instill my experience and craftsmanship in
all my employees. Remember that the final results can
only be as good as the person doing the work!
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