INDIANAPOLIS — The Better Business Bureau serving Central Indiana revoked an Indy contractor’s accreditation after 19 consumer complaints were filed and what the BBB called a pattern of taking customers’ money and not completing the work.
Quest Concrete LLC now has an F rating from the BBB, which is the lowest score possible. According to a release from the bureau, a Franklin consumer paid a $6,000 deposit on a $12,000 project for Quest Concrete to pour a patio in 8 to 10 weeks.
After signing the contract, Quest never provided the customer with a project manager and would not respond to the customer’s calls.
To complicate matters, the BBB also said they found Quest Concrete shared numerous business details with Quest Exteriors like contact information, an address and personnel. Initially, all consumer complaints were filed against Quest Exteriors LLC but its manager claimed it was “wholly separate” from Quest Concrete.
The BBB’s local board of directors revoked Quest Exteriors’ accreditation on Dec. 13, 2022, for “failure to adhere to two of the requirements BBB Accredited Businesses must meet and abide by.” That included transparency and responsiveness.
“Just like these board of directors can vote to give a business accreditation; they can very well do the same to revoke an accreditation if it’s found that any of the 8 standards of trust have been violated,” Jennifer Adamany, Director of Communication at the BBB Serving Central Indiana, said.
Ultimately, the BBB said they could not find who handled complaints for Quest Concrete beyond Quest Exteriors and that the total amount lost by clients of Quest Concrete is around $74,000.
As a result, BBB has been unable to identify a complaint handler for Quest Concrete outside of Quest Exteriors, leaving 18 unanswered complaints and a total monetary loss of around $74,000.
You can read those complaints against Quest Concrete on the local BBB’s website.
“It made a huge impact because if it wasn’t for these complaints that we’re seeing, we wouldn’t have seen the pattern that was associated with it,” Adamany said. “It really alerted us to dig into this further and really see what was going on. So, consumer voices are very important.”
We called the number for Quest Concrete but it had been disconnected, so we came down to their location. No one was there but there was a paper in the door that said “summons.” We know from court records they have seven pending cases against them.
“If you do look at MyCase, that’s a really great resource,” Jane Handley, Staff Attorney with Indiana Legal Services, said. “You can look up cases by an individual’s name or a business name and you can see if there have been any lawsuits against them.”
Handley urges people to ensure a contractor has a valid license and is bonded and insured. She urges people to ask contractors if they plan to do the work or if they will hire subcontractors.
If the answer is yes, Handley said consumers must verify those subcontractors are licensed, bonded and insured.
Additionally, Handley urges people to get at least three estimates from different places before making a decision to hire a business. Adamany agrees.
“Don’t just go with the cheapest because it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best option,” Adamany said.
Additional questions to consider before a contract is signed
- Did the company set up the LLC on the same day you connected with them?
- Did the business dissolve yet they’re still operating? You can find this information on bsd.sos.in.gov.
- In the contract, does it list all of the work that will be completed?
- In the contract, does it give clear pricing or does it give a price for a general job?
- In the contract does it have an estimated start and end date? Handley said it should.
- In the contract, does it list contact information for the person handling the job?
