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Bad intentions
It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In Rappahannock, the dirt driveways belonging to some of our elderly residents have been paved recently with supposedly left-over asphalt spread by some untrustworthy operators from Front Royal. 9
The scam works this way: an asphalt truck will suddenly show up at someone’s home, usually an elderly resident who has been marked to be taken advantage of. The paver tells them that there is extra asphalt from another nearby job on the truck and offers to spread it on the driveway for “cheap.”
When the homeowner commits, the funny business starts. According to Sheriff John Henry Woodward and Commonwealth’s Attorney Peter Luke, the contractor will either use an inferior grade of asphalt, spread it too thin, fail tc properly treat the surface or try to increase the price by telling the homeowner that they “spread a little more than we thought.”
In one case in Rappahannock County last week, a Viewtown man agreed to pay $500 but the price increased to $900 after the job was finished. The man paid the contractor, then discovered he had been cheated.
In another case, an elderly woman agreed to pay $2,000 to have her drive paved. When her son saw the job he called the paving company in Front Royal and said the job was only worth $400, according to Sheriff Woodward, and the paver agreed. But he tried to cash the larger check anyhow, although payment had been stopped.
Sheriff Woodward said the problem with the paving scam is that “these guys have been doing it so long that they know the fine line between legal and illegal.”
Mr. Luke offered this advice to county residents who are offered a deal on paving (or on house painting, another scam): “The best thing they can do is get some references and check them out thoroughly before you let them do anything.” Also make sure they are a state-licensed contractor.
He also strongly suggested that homeowners get a written contract beforehand stating exactly what they plan to do and how much it will cost.
Even though the pavers usually don’t break the law, homeowners who have been cheated may still have a civil case and may be able to recover their money, said Mr. Luke.
Be careful during the next few months if anyone makes you an offer that is too good to be believed. Sheriff Woodward and Mr. Luke said these things tend to crop up in spurts, and when an area gets “too hot” they move on. If people here don’t fall for their fast talk, they’ll be moving on soon.
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