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Better Contractors Bureau, Ltd.
1151 Titus Avenue
Rochester, NY 14617
 585-338-3600/Fax 585-467-3740
 obettercontract@rochester.rr.com
Contact: Carmen Santora

 585-338-3600/585-303-2564
 
IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

BCB To Register Contractors

The Better Contractors Bureau (BCB) a nonprofit consumer protection agency started in 1974 has been fighting for formal Monroe County Registration for many years and has been unsuccessful in its quest due to the politicians who will not support it! Counties as Nassau and Suffolk along with the Town of Amherst already have formal registration! Carmen Santora, Executive Director of the BCB says "until the politicians running the Monroe County legislature see the need for legislation to protect their constituents who put them in office rather than upset the small amount of the influential business owners that are against any type of regulation something has to be done about it!"

The Better Contractor Bureau member contractors already have an identification registration number assigned to each of them as part of the application process when joining the BCB! We hold our members accountable to certain high standards. Because of the increase in the number of recent scams and price gouging due to the Covid pandemic the consumers have had to endure the BCB is taking it on itself to assign an identification registration tracking number to all the other approximate 10,000 contractors on its information data base.

By assigning all contractors a registration number it will be much quicker for the consumers to ask the contractor they are contemplating hiring if they have a registration number so that they know the BCB has information on them before considering them for their projects!

Nonmember contractors in all trades may call the Better Contractors Bureau (BCB) at 585-338-3600 or email obettercontract@rochester.rr.com to find out their already issued ID tracking registration number and verify the information on file for a minimal processing $25 fee! If they are not presently among the almost 10,000 contractors registered on the BCB data base file or a new business, they can give their company and personal information by filling out a Home Improvement Contractor Registration Form along with the processing fee and will be issued their ID tracking registration number.

Contractors are not to consider this as a state or county mandated requirement but only as a public service program for the BCB to give more helpful information to the consumer and in no way enacted to only endorse its members or a way to solicit new members!

BCB contractors must meet certain standards of membership to earn the prestigious designation called "Registered Professional" and is different from the registration program! All members must abide by a strict Code of Ethics so that consumers who contract with them know that they are dealing with honest, reputable contractors and can get up to date information to help make their decision on whom to hire for their home improvement project easier and less stressful!

It will let them know that if they deal with a Registered Professional BCB contractor member they will have some resource regarding a consumer/contractor dispute through its in-house mediation program or formal arbitration through its affiliation with the Center for Dispute Settlement.

BCB certified inspectors in the past worked with the Brighton Police to help investigate a driveway contractor who is believed to have scammed over 28 consumers (mostly seniors) in Monroe County, Ontario County, Town of Brighton, and the City of Rochester. In addition, helped to prosecute the past snowplow scammer and the many other similar home improvement rip offs that are called in to the BCB office daily!

Executive Director, Carmen Santora appeared before the Ontario Grand Jury to testify on a contractor who ripped off a consumer of over $20,000 in Canandaigua, NY resulting in the contractor facing imprisonment and fines!

This new registration program will help to better protect the public and enable them to check on a contractor before getting an estimate or signing a contract! In addition, it will make it easier for the BCB to keep track of the many unscrupulous, fly-by-night out of state contractors who flock to our area because they know that there are no requirements to work here along with the local scammers already here!

Consumers along with reputable, professional, hardworking contractors who are properly insured, use NYS required contracts and operate as legitimate businesses should welcome the BCB's new efforts to help improve the image of one of the most complained about business and help make it a little easier to continue its mission to "Protect and Inform" the consumer and its goal to eliminate the unscrupulous contractors in the five-county area it serves!

Santora says "we encourage consumers to ask the contractor they are considering for their home improvement project for their ID Registration number when calling for an estimate or before signing a contract, so they know that the BCB has a record of them on file!"

 In no way does the BCB's new program infer that should a contractor not have a registration number that they are not reputable! It is another way to aid the consumer (especially seniors) to protect themselves from unscrupulous contractors!

END RELEASE

Contractors interested in an Application for a Registration number to operate as a Registered Home Improvement Contractor Please Click Here

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Additional print logos available to members at:
http://the-bcb.net/logo.html
THE BCB

The Better Contractors Bureau is a non-profit consumer protection agency established in 1974 to be of assistance to the homeowner when dealing with contractors. It's mission is to "PROTECT & INFORM" the consumer and its goals are to eliminate the unscrupulous contractors in the five county area it serves around Monroe County and upgrade the image of the industry!

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CARMEN SANTORA
"Executive Director"
Better Contractors Bureau

 
 

 

CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION
Presented to the Better Contractors Bureau


FREE RESOURCE GUIDE AND MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY
CALL THE BCB - 585-338-3600


The Better Contractors Bureau (BCB) is always available to help the consumer when dealing with contractors and now during the Corona-19 Virus more than ever! We would like to warn homeowners, especially our seniors that whenever a crisis occurs the fly-by-night, unscrupulous, scam artist contractors flock here from out of our area more than ever to take advantage of those that may need emergency repairs or home improvement projects!
Now that the construction phase is open just a few things to watch out for if approached by drive by contractors looking for work:
1.DO NOT deal with a contractor that shows up driving a vehicle with out of state license plates!
2.Watch for scare tactics and always say you will be getting other estimates!
3.Compare prices with other contractors as the crooked ones will be out to gouge you!
4.Some travel with children who are trained to ask to use your bathroom and while you are outside talking with the father will go inside with that ruse and will take that time to steal anything they can hide under their clothing! Especially money, jewelry, etc.
5.Beware of roof, gutters and chimney scams and don't allow them up on your roof as they will purposely damage them to get exorbitant prices, especially if you actually need an emergency repair!
6.Never pay in cash and always make check payments out to a company's name not a person!!!
If you are able to use a computer go to the BCB's website at www.The-BCB.net and when the page opens click Member Info on the very top and when that opens click Member Categories and simply scroll down to the contractor trade category you need for your project or emergency! You will find BCB members listed there who are all Registered, insured and must meet rigid Standards of membership including swearing to a Code of Ethics!

If you feel you are being scammed or gouged try and get the contractor's name, address, phone number and license plate number off their vehicle and when they leave immediately call and report them to your local police department. Watch out for any of your elderly neighbors who may live alone and tell them if any contractors approach them to call a relative, friend or neighbor to be there at the same time the contractor is there!

BE SAFE & WELL!

REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A DESIGNATED "REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL" MEMBER OF THE BCB
New Contractor Member Applicants MUST Meet All The BCB Standards Of Membership Below To Be Given The Prestigious Designation Of "Registered Professional" title.
BCB STANDARDS OF MEMBERSHIP

  1. Member contractor applicants must be either be a Corporation , DBA or LLC.
  2. Members must submit proof of liability insurance and workmen's comp if they have employees.
  3. Member's contracts must meet all the requirements under Article 36A of the NYS Business law!
  4. Member applicants cannot have any unsatisfied complaints registered with the Attorney General!
  5. Contractor member applicants must have been in business at least one full year or have 5 years experiencein their specific trade.
  6. The company principle cannot have been convicted of any home improvement crime!
  7. Members using a P.O. Box must provide their actual address to the BCB.
  8. Members using a cell phone as a business number only must provide their home phone number.
  9. Members must respond to all customer complaints in writing within 30 days.
  10. Members must agree to mediate all customer disputes through the BCB's in house mediation process.
  11. Members must agree to appear before the Ethics committee regarding unresolved complaints.
  12. Members must agree to abide by the BCB Code of Ethics.
  13. Members must agree to pay all court judgments awarded to customers.
    JOIN THE BCB!
  14. All members must respond to any and all BCB correspondence within 5 business days!
  15. Any member's annual dues that are more than 90 days past due is grounds for immediate expulsion!
Members must abide by the above standards of membership or failure to do so may result in the expulsion from the BCB.
In addition all new member applicants are on a 1-year probationary trial period during which time they may not use the
BCB logo in any type of permanent advertising such as the yellow Pages.

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