You can usually find bathtub refinishing contractors in your area by simply searching for "bathtub refinishing" followed by the name of your city, town or region. In California you can find a list of bathtub refinishing contractors organized by region along with a general credit rating at www.Reglazing.net. If you live in the greater Los Angeles region my company can help you. We do bathtub reglazing in Los Angeles and all surrounding communities including Orange County and Ventura County, and can be found at www.PacificReglazing.com.
Once you find a potential contractor, here are some important points to consider when selecting your contractor. In approximate order of importance you should check on the following:
1. Are they licensed? If so, get the license number and check if it is valid and current. In California you can check the status of any contractors license at www.cslb.ca.gov. A valid contractors license is required to operate legitimately in this industry. Unlicensed contractors are a dangerous liability because they do not carry the insurances required of licensed contractors. This puts all of the risk on your shoulders. If they cause a fire, it's on you. If they get injured on the job, you could be made to cover medical expenses. So the number one rule of thumb, use only licensed contractors.
2. Are they insured? Usually, if number one is true, number two will be true to some degree. Bonding is required. Workers Compensation is required if they have employees. Some contractors get around this by hiring "independent contractors" rather than have employees. This is rarely legitimate since each independent contractor would need to be separately licensed to be legitimately independent. Liability insurance is an additional protection that the larger refinishing companies usually carry. It protects your property in the event of an accident or fire, or a third party suing you for something the contractor did. Experienced contractors are used to being asked for proof of insurance, and if they have it they will normally tell you "no problem" and provide you a document proving coverage. If you own a lot of property and you intend to use the contractor a lot you can ask to be added as a "certificate holder" so that you will be notified in the event the status of their insurance changes. Most property management companies and large apartment owners ask to be added to the policy as a "certificate holder".
3. How long have they been in business? Longer is better. If they have only been around a short time, they will not have learned from their mistakes. A five year warranty doesn't mean as much from someone who has been in business for a year as it does from someone who is still in business after ten years.
4. What do people have to say about the company? Do a search for the company on the internet and often reviews will show up. If you see a lot of poor reviews with the same complaints, be cautions. But don't use online complaints as your primary criteria. There is always a portion of the population who will find something to complain about the best company, and sometimes these are the only people motivated to post a review. But a good number of positive reviews is a good sign especially if they are particularly passionate in nature.
5. Check their rating with the Better Business Bureau. In California, the link to their site is http://www.la.bbb.org. If their rating is A or above, this is a good sign. Look at their complaint history. If they have a history of being responsive to customer complaints, this probably means more than simply having NO complaints. Busy companies accumulate more complaints, but it is their response to the complaints that is significant.
6. What about their process? I wouldn't try to fully evaluate the processes of every contractor you talk to, but do listen to what they have to say about why their process is "good" or "the best". A cheaper price is sometimes offered by otherwise legitimate contractors because they use cheaper materials. These cheaper materials can yellow with age, or peel prematurely. If you can, see examples of their work or call a customer who had work done over a year ago or so. Normally a company that has been in business a long time is using a process that works okay for them if they are able to maintain a high BBB rating or good repute with customers.
7. What are the terms of their warranty? Usually there will be exclusions for things like normal wear and tear, damage caused by abuse, and not following maintenance guidelines. This is normal as there is no bathroom finish that will hold up to all possible abuse. But ask what you have to do if you need warranty service? Do they keep a record of your job, or do you have to keep your receipt and prove coverage yourself. If the company is very organized they can just look up your job and know if you are in the warranty period. Other companies will require YOU to prove it with a receipt or warranty document of some kind. If you are not organized and probably wont know where the proof is 3 years from now, this might be an important consideration.
