A friend of a friend who manages several multi-unit apartment complexes in Tucson had an interesting comment about contractors. Whenever a contractor’s truck pulls up for an estimate, she can tell if the estimate will be high by the shape the truck is in. If its a brand new shiny truck, the estimate will be high because a contractor is paying off a large loan for the truck, and most likely the new equipment inside the truck.
To this, I have several items to add. If the truck is old a beat-up then thats no good either because the contractor does not have pride in his business or is not getting enough business to afford a decent truck (which indicates incompetence or poor customer service). Also, a good indicator is how clean the truck is. Is there equipment haphazardly scattered all over or is it nice and organized. The organization of the truck will most likely mirror how organized the job will be.
So in conclusion, the contractor that pulls up in a clean well organized, but not brand new, truck is probably the best one.