Uninsured contractors are a danger to your financial affairs because they expose you to significant financial risk in the event of an injury or damage to property. Though they may present you with an opportunity to save money in the short term, the long term risk to which you are being exposed may prevent you from ever opening your doors for business.
Uninsured contractors may have no way of repaying you for any property damage he or she causes, putting the risk of extended damage squarely on your shoulders. If you are renting the location of your business, your agreement may explicitly state that you must hire an insured contractor to complete the job. Failure to do so could put you at considerable risk should damage to property occur.
If you think to yourself that your property insurance policy will cover whatever damages or losses occur as a result of your uninsured contractor, think again. If an employee of the contractor is hurt while working on your property and a prolonged hospital stay is required, different insurance scenarios can come into play depending on the status of the contractor. If the contractor is licensed, his workers compensation policy will come into play. If he is unlicensed and uninsured, then your insurance policy becomes the primary insurance.
However, when a serious accident occurs, both the injured party and all others that were impacted by the damage will likely sue to recover their loses. If you knowingly hired an unlicensed contractor and an injury occurs during the performance of the contract, then your insurance company has the right to not pay the claim, leaving you exposed to the medical or personal injury bills. If the insurance company wins a judgment against you, any asset you receive in the future can have a lean placed against it. All judgments are made a part of your credit history and remain there until they are paid.
So what about one-man teams? If your contractor is a one-man operation, he can be exempt from having to carry workers' compensation insurance. However, this is very risky for you, as he may well engage the services of an assistant and, if the assistant gets hurt, you may have to pay the medical bills.
When hiring a contractor or sub-contractor, make sure each carries public liability and property damage insurance. Do your homework by taking the time to check with the insurance agency to verify that the policy is still effective and will be throughout the duration of your engagement.
The bottom line in this debate will affect the bottom line of your family. If the contractor is uninsured or has uninsured employees, don't even consider hiring them. Otherwise, you could be sued and held monetarily responsible for worker's injuries sustained while on your property. Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to discover which contractors may have had complaints filed against them and get as much detail as possible to determine whether or not the complaint was legitimate. Shortcuts can (and have) been taken by many other people like you, but are you truly willing to take on such an additional risk before the doors of your business have even opened?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
5 Ways to Save with Engel Air Conditioning and Heating!
Do you find making much needed home repairs taxing or frustrating? In a large sea of “best value” and “lowest price” it may be confusing to pick a service company that is sincere and offers quality work. We are not going to talk about limited time offers and restrictions that may apply, we are just going to give you the facts, plain and simple, and let you decide if we are the company for you.
1. Quality Service
We have been in the business for 36 years and we are committed to making our customers smile. With our combined experience, our company has over 100 years of knowledge. We are experts in residential installations and will thoroughly explain the diagnosis before we make any installations or repairs. We want you, as a homeowner, to be able to make an informed decision after we present your options to you.
Our technicians come from diverse backgrounds and each one has an impressive skill set. We are proud to say that we believe in lifelong learning and we require our technicians to attend training courses each week to learn new skills. We actually pay them to learn how to serve you better. Everybody wins.
Our technicians wear a professional uniform and follow appearance standards so that you cannot mistake them for anyone else when they show up at your door. We also drug test our technicians as a safety precaution. We understand as homeowners that it may be frightening to let someone you do not know into your home. At Engel Air Conditioning and Heating we would not send anyone to your house that we would not be comfortable letting into our own.
2. Quality Products
At Engel Air Conditioning and Heating we do not believe in installing poor quality equipment or practicing “planned obsolescence.” There are some companies out there who will complete the job with the absolute lowest material and labor costs so that they can enjoy the highest profit possible. We are not one of them. We will only sell you high quality, long lasting parts and they will be installed in the most professional manner. We want your repeat business legitimately, not because a product we sold you had a short life. It is important to us that our customers give positive recommendations about our company to other potential customers. In order for that to happen, we take care to deliver to our customers the products and experience that they deserve.
3. No Hidden Fees
Another benefit of choosing Engel Air Conditioning and Heating We have been known to work odd and late hours to ensure that our customers’ systems are repaired in a timely manner. We do not want you to sacrifice comfort for quality. We understand how upsetting it can be to go without modern conveniences, especially when looking out for the wellbeing of your family. So, we will not expect you to pay a dime more than you would during conventional office hours. We will even work around your schedule.
4. Guaranteed Fixed Pricing
After diagnosing your system, we provide a fixed, guaranteed price for the repair or installation. No tricks. No gimmicks. There will be no surprises or hidden fees. Our prices take into account all the costs of operating a business, from servicing our trucks, to building operation fees, employee salaries, benefits, and more. Our prices are carefully calculated and never arbitrary. We believe in the right price for the right quality.
5. Community
Engel Air Conditioning and Heating is a proud member of the Service Roundtable, The BBB, Electrical Association Of Philadelphia, The Community, and actively participates in conferences, trade shows, and other educational events. The purpose of attending these events is to network with other service companies to determine best practices. We also attend to learn about cutting edge products that will benefit our customers. If there is a product out there that will improve your comfort, save you money, or make your life a little easier, we will be the first to tell you all about it.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Heat Wave Coming
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With the hot temperatures coming this week, we all need to check on our loved ones and the elderly. The temperatures are going to reach 98 degrees this week and it will be very unsafe. Please take the time to check your air filters and those of your elderly friends. A filter being dirty is a service call that can be prevented and keep you cool during these hot spells.
For those of you, who have had the PECO smart energy device installed on your air conditioning system, please be aware that when the system goes through one of the brownouts the outdoor fan will run but the compressor will not run. Please be sure you do not have one of these devices attached to you cooling system if you are experiencing problems.
Thanks again for all your support and we look forward to servicing your home comfort needs.
Regards;
Dave Jackson
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tips for staying cool.
Tips on staying cool:
ü 1-Dress appropriately- lighter clothes reflect heat and darker clothes absorb heat.
ü 2-Draw the blinds and shades in your home to help keep the heat from getting into your home.
ü 3-Drink plenty of fluids.
ü 4-Insulate your home.
ü 5-Set your thermostat to fan on in the summer, this will help keep the air circulating.
ü 6-Replace your air filters.
ü 7-Turn on ceiling fans.
ü 8-Remove old incandescent light bulbs and replace with florescent bulbs.
ü 9-Cook outside on the grill.
ü 10-Put off laundry until the evening hours.
ü 11- Have your air conditioning system checked.
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