I had a great idea to write a blog this morning about a slew of phone calls we received in the office this week about a business who was claiming to be BBB Accredited and wasn't.  That made a bunch of consumers angry when they got ripped off by this company.  Given the nature of the severe weather that hit the Austin area last night, I figured I could mold both ideas together.  Last week, I posted a blog talking about false BBB Online logos on a company's Web site so this week I'm saying watch out for companies claiming to be BBB accredited if you were unlucky enough to sustain damage during the storm last night and need to have someone fix your property.

Without a doubt, we'll see contractors from all over the place coming into the area just like in March and some will probably tell consumers they are BBB Accredited and may even show them a seal.  DO NOT TAKE THEM FOR THEIR WORD!  BBB's Web site is 100% FREE to use for looking up a company's Reliability Report and consumers should do so before even thinking about signing a contract.  We're the only source that can, without a doubt, tell you if a company is BBB accredited or not.  So don't rush into your repairs.  These contractors will be around for awhile so do your homework first and then make plans to get your life back to normal so it doesn't cost you more in the longrun.