When it comes to mold, the general public knows little to nothing other than what they read on the internet or hear from someone who makes money selling mold-related products or services.
Most people who call a mold inspector or mold removal contractor are not really sure if they have a mold problem or not. Maybe they smell something, maybe they had a toilet back up in the past, or had a flood. Perhaps they’re experiencing some unexplained health condition that they believe might be caused by mold growing in their home.
It’s one thing to know for certain that you have a mold problem, but quite another to not know for sure. And between the ‘not knowing’ and all the hype and scare tactics that are used to sell mold services (both inspections and remediation), it’s only natural for people to be somewhat ‘fearful’ when they call a mold removal company.
Fear is a powerful motivator and many unscrupulous mold contractors are masters at playing the fear card to create a sense of urgency in order to motivate you sign a contract right away. That is not to say that all mold remediation contractors are unscrupulous.
There are many excellent consultants and contractors out there. But in these slow economic times, it is wise to beware of anyone using words like; “FREE MOLD INSPECTION”, “FREE CONSULTATION”, “FREE TESTING”, and “FREE SAMPLES” in their pitch.
More often than not, free comes with a hefty price that ends up costing far more than you thought it would and never has that been more true than in the mold business.
How To Avoid It: Make sure your Mold Inspector is Licensed by the State and ensure that your mold inspector is not your mold remediator.
The safest thing consumers can do whenever the word “FREE” is used to sell a mold remediation job is to avoid that contractor all together.
Think about it. No one is in business to do anything for free.
Anyone offering something for free is doing so to sell you something else.
While that may be fine when it comes to “buy one – get one free” deals offered on TV infomercials, in the mold business a free inspections and testing can end up costing you thousands of dollars for remediation work that may be grossly exaggerated or in some cases doesn’t need to be done at all.
Most importantly it’s against the Law in the State of Florida to provide mold assessment ans remediation on the same job.
•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC •Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant •Microshield Environmental Services, LLC •www.Microshield-ES.com www.CFL-IAQ.com