SEYMOUR, WI (WHBL) – State consumer protection officials are warning residents in Northeast Wisconsin about a door-to-door asphalt scam.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says a complaint came in from the Black Creek/Seymour area that a woman had been bilked out of of $5,000 for shoddy and improper driveway sealing. The crew poured gravel on her driveway and then sealed it with diesel fuel before leaving.
State officials say this is just one of many scams that travel through Wisconsin every year. The travelling crews are known to sell everything from fish and meat, magazines, or home construction help. A number of them also chase storms and may try to sell discounted repairs to homeowners with damage to their property.
If you’re contacted by one of these crews, the first thing to do is find out if they’re a legitimate local business. In many cases, travelling crews are required by ordinance to have a license or permit to perform door-to-door sales in a community. The workers should also be wearing easily read identification, and should be agreeable to coming back after you have thought about hiring them or buying a product.
High-pressure sales tactics are common among the scammers. Many times the scammers will claim they just got done with another job and that they have leftover product to get rid of. They’ll also insist on cash or check upfront before they start the job.
DATCP says you should be wary of buying services from travelling crews. If you do have need of repairs or other services, turn instead to a trusted local business that you can contact after service is complete.
If you run into trouble, have salesmen trying to pressure you into a sale or other problems, contact your local police, or call DATCP at (800) 422-7128
