Why should this matter to me?

Clients

Three years after Hurricane Katrina there are still complaints about unlicensed contractors collecting thousands of dollars from citizens and leaving behind incomplete and substandard work. This is a major problem for contractors and clients alike. Before the storm the Louisiana Attorney General’s office received an average of 45 complaints per year; in the last two years there have been more than 6,000 complaints with at least 515 of them determined criminal. Sorting through this issue to find a capable and licensed contractor is becoming more difficult under these circumstances. As a client, it is difficult to know who is honest and who is capable of fraudulent behavior, as statistics show one in every five contractors is unlicensed and uninsured. This is where CIS steps in; CIS exists to help you, the client, choose a contractor whom you know you can trust. CIS adds one more layer of protection from criminal activity. However, we cannot do this alone. When you hire or meet with a contractor it is imperative that you not only ask to see his CIS card, but that you follow through and VERIFY him. Take his card and enter his CIS number in the verification box located on this site’s home page or call the 800 number on the back of the card. Protect yourself!

As a client in need of a contractor, it is important to know that if you do find yourself in the position of having hired an unlicensed contractor who has disappeared with your money and left the job unfinished there is little that can be done. Very few contractors have been found as it is rare for them to leave behind a paper trail. If you do find the person that swindled you, you will have to take him to court. The state licensing board deals with complaints about unlicensed work, not damages and not blame. All fines that are gathered when the person is found go towards a contractor education campaign and no reimbursement fund is given to the victim. As a client you MUST verify your contractor to avoid getting involved in a scam. Protect yourself; ask for your contractor’s CIS card and verify him. A few minutes can save you from thousands of lost dollars in stolen deposits and lawyers’ fees. A few minutes can mean the difference of a finished home and an unfinished one.

Contractor

CIS exists not only to help clients hire contractors and avoid getting scammed, but for the honest contractors as well. CIS is an identification system that proves you are who you say you are. We are using the most up-to-date technology to keep your identity safe. It is imperative to hand your CIS card over to the client and request them to verify you in order to keep the system running and keep you protected. While CIS provides you with total security, it also provides you ease in proving to your prospective client that you are honest and the can trust you. Even though contractors have remained very busy due to the high volume of work in our area, many honest contractors have been overwhelmed by the low bid work they took and been forced to leave jobs unfinished. This low-bid work is due to the large number of unlicensed contractors who have moved to our area and force licensed contractors to bid low in order to get any work at all. The unlicensed contractors bid low, get the job, get the money up front and take-off. CIS is determined to prevent this fraudulent activity. Although the card is an extra yearly expense it is a minimal one at forty dollars per year for two cards. Getting one job that may have otherwise been given to a criminal will be enough to pay for the cards for years to come. Avoiding one case of identity theft is more than enough to cover any annual fees for the cards for the life of your business.