Westfair Cleaning

Today's market for goods and services has become highly competitive. In as much as we are all consumers, this is a good thing. The options available to today's shoppers range from local retailers and specialty shops to the giant price clubs to EBay and the rest of the World Wide Web. If you are reading this, I don't have to discuss the tremendous power of the internet as a means of gaining information on virtually any item or service.

When purchasing an item such as a phone or laptop, if we are dissatisfied with the product's performance or if there is a defect in the product, we can easily return the item for a refund or exchange. Services, however, can be a bit more involved. If you hire a painter or a carpenter and one week into the job things are not going as promised, it's a slightly more complicated matter than returning a toaster oven. Even if no money has changed hands, the real issue is that they are working in your home and have altered your home environment. With services, it's more about the people involved.

It has long been said that you get what you pay for. This remains, for the most part, true today. When consulting a contractor for a repair or maintenance issue, most of us make sure to ask the standard questions; how long have you been in business, do you carry insurance, do you regularly work in the area, how many people does your company employ, etc. This is all necessary information and usually takes place before any discussions of timing, materials or price. The important thing to keep in mind is that the performance of every business is a direct reflection of the character of the business owner(s) and the people employed to carry out the task. If you don't get that warm and fuzzy feeling of comfort during your initial consultation, the other factors seem greatly diminished.

There is another factor to consider on the human side of things. There is a substantial possibility that the contractor that gives you a very low price is probably not treating the employees very well. As we are all aware, a substantial percentage of the individuals in the New York metropolitan area performing tasks such as landscaping, painting and house cleaning, to name just a few, are Latino. An unfortunate percentage of these Latin workers function as virtual indentured slaves, sleeping three to a bed with room and board included as part of their compensation. Unhappy, poorly compensated workers perform uninspired substandard work.

So, be a conscientious consumer. Use all the tools available to locate a reliable contractor offering competitive pricing and that all important level of comfort. But remember, if something looks too good to be true it probably is.