Published Thursday, November 14, 2002
Herald Staff Writer
When Cheryl Doutt, 55, of 31 Nora St., looked at her tornado-damaged yard, the recently widowed Clark woman knew she would need some help with tree cleanup.
So when a contractor came around Monday morning and offered to pull out two pine tree stumps and get rid of another tree cracked in half for just under $1,000, she signed on the dotted line.
"All I could see was a big mess here," said Mrs. Doutt, who cares for a 2-month-old grandchild. "When he stopped by, I thought, 'Well, OK, I gotta have it done.' " Homeowners insurance wouldn't pay for the cleanup unless the trees had damaged her home or car, which they hadn't.
But after talking with a few family friends and her son, she realized that the price was pretty steep.
"I called Tuesday and said I'm going to cancel, because legally you have three days to cancel a contract," she said. "He gave me a really hard time and told me he was going to charge a reneging fee. But then he said he would waive it because of the tornado."
"That's what ticked me off. When you are here by yourself and you don't know what you have to do, this kind of thing is very frustrating."
Rick Fair of Clark, who owns a tree-trimming business, appraised Mrs. Doutt's loss. Fair, who has been in the business for 30 years, said what Mrs. Doutt needed shouldn't have cost more than $475, including dirt, seed and straw.
"People need to not get into a panic, even during this time, and get several different estimates," he advised.
Fair, with the help of other workers, pulled out the two stumps for free on Tuesday.
Mrs. Doutt encouraged other victims to ask questions before signing anything. "I think I would be more patient and wait. You want to try to get things taken care of as fast as you can, and sometimes it's just better to wait."
Clark Mayor Douglas Bradley and James R. Thompson, the county's Emergency Management Agency director, said if anyone has any concerns about being taken advantage of, he or she should contact the district attorney's office because it could be a crime. They also distributed pamphlets informing people how to avoid being scammed.
Anyone who has questions about a contractor or about signing a contract may contact Clark councilman and Code Enforcement Officer Bob Stainbrook at (724) 866-1716.