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weekender april 30 1994 p23 zj01 t gef burned by jly by night paving contractors how big was it is a question usual ly reserved for a fishing story about the one that got away but one of the coldest winters on record has taken such a toll on ontario roads that this spring people are trading yarns about the size of the potholes if the potholes cracks and buckling in your driveway are making you think about repaving take a tip from ontarios consumer ministry hiring the right paving company can help make sure new problems dont sur face shortly after the works been done the ministrys consumer services bureaus receive a lot of complaints about poor residential paving jobs says marilyn gurevsky a bureau manager many of these come from householders whove expected too much from inexpensive jobs you get what you pay for gurevsky says companies that offer a much lower price than the competi tion may use inferior materials or skimp on proper installation tech niques while a warranty will proba bly be offered with the paving it may be useless if the company cant be found or goes out of business the ministry advises consumers to be especially wary of companies sell ing paving services doortodopr some legitimate companies may solicit work in a neighborhood if they have a few jobs there already gurevsky says bureau staff hear some complaints from people whove dealt with reputable firms paid fair prices and still received poor results she says these are usually the easiest complaints to resolve because the companies will honor their warranties to protect their good reputations but some complaints which often have to do with companies selling doortodoor come from people whove truly been taken by fly-by- night companies gurevsky says more consumers report theyre sat isfied with work done by paving firms theyve found on their own or through references from friends rather than by companies that happen to be working on their street that week guidelines to help consumers avoid difficul ties with residential paving jobs the ministry offers the following tips v always get a contract in writing that includes the following 71116 name and address of the con tractor many consumers find they get good service when they deal with local firms if repairs are needed and the companys equipment is 500 kilo metres away you may have trouble enforcing the warranty v details of the job must be listed whether the work to be done is sim ple resurfacing or includes digging out existing work to ground level make sure its fully described in writ ing- v the quality and quantity of mate rials to be used and the final compact ed depth of the pavement should be clearly set out v get a written estimate including the work involved amounts and qual ities of materials to be used and the size of the area to be paved v call two other paving companies and ask for quotes based on the same specifications v ask the contractor for references from last years customers and recent ones and contact a couple of each most problems will surface within a year after the work is done so if a driveway laid last june is still in good shape chances are itll last calling a recent client will let you know if the company is keeping up customer ser vice v ask about the warranty and make sure it is clearly spelled out in writ ing most reputable companies offer oneyear warranties v expect to be asked some ques tions the paving company should want to know if any heavy vehicles will be parked on the driveway and how old the house is owners of new homes are often advised not to have driveways paved until two years after construction to give the ground time to settle v if a company asks for a very large deposit or the price is very low find another paver flybynight operators have sometimes been known to dis appear with the cash for more specific details on resi dential driveway paving write for a free copy of the brochure a practical guide to home repairs its available from communications branch min istry of consumer and commercial relations 250 yonge street toronto ontario m5b2n5 its time for service beat the high cost of unwanted major repairs to yor ac unit this summer after last years hot summer preventive maintenance this year is the cheapest insurance you can buy for comfort all summer long save 1000 by ordering your ac service by phone early bird special reg 6995 now 5995 heating air conditioning ltd authorized coisumers gas dealer unionville 4791290 stouffville 416 4643428 dont be last in line tor service when the first heat wave hits thank you to all of our valued customers for your suj sclftlo tuuji 0 y o hi gityour moneys worth one years quality service mm i travel miles on our regular offer sat april 30 to sun may 8 grand3q opening can a das ivterstzt s t of r e v v sal living lighting 5308 hwy 7 markham no gstpst on all regular priced ne corner of mccowan rd hwy 7 air miles- vdmamavafabtortpgttapjrting markham location only sale ends sat april 30 sun may 8th summer hours monfri 10 am 9 pm sat 10 am 6pm sun 11am 4 pm 9052949557 rr vxvv-