Have you ever hired a contractor and then later wished you had checked things out further?

All may not be lost if you act quickly.

Karen Stiles of the TODAY’S TMJ4 Call 4 Action office has some tips on what to do if you have second thoughts about the work you had or are about to have done.

The Call 4 Action office gets a lot of calls on this, especially when people need to hire someone in a hurry, such as when they are dealing with a flooding problem.

If you hired someone in a hurry and are having second thoughts, keep in mind, it may not be too late to ask questions and check things out further.

If something doesn’t feel right, trust your gut reaction and contact more than one contractor and ask how they might have dealt with your situation and at what price. Also, check out the reputation of your contractor with consumer agencies and trade organizations like NARI to see if any complaints have been filed.

If you get conflicting opinions or lower quotes, contact the owner of the business and the person who did or will be doing the work to ask more questions. Sometimes there is a very good explanation, such as a higher fee for an emergency service call, or that extra work needed to be done due to the severity or urgency of the situation. However, if you don’t get a good explanation or something still does not seem right, don’t wait. Contact consumer agencies immediately to try to get answers and resolution of the issue. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to get the issue resolved satisfactorily.

If you’ve already paid and the job did not get done to your satisfaction, you can always contact the Call 4 Action office for assistance or file a complaint with the Department of Consumer Protection. In some cases, you may need to file a lawsuit or file a complaint with the county’s district attorney’s office.