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Originally Posted by speede5
"on the side" as in it's not my full time job, and yes I have insurance and license.
We can't all be Mike Holmes, but that doesn't mean we're all ripping people off.
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If you don't know what a prepaid contractor's license is, it's a safe bet you don't have one. It's a license you get from the province that requires you to place a surety bond and go through various background checks so that the public can confidently and legally give you a deposit before work begins. If you've accepted deposits without one you're guilty of operating without a prepaid contractor's license and likely several counts of fraud as well. Lots of people do it but lots of people also get caught in stings. And as more people become aware of this requirements, more complaints are filed.
It's also one thing to have liability insurance, another thing to have WCB, and another thing to know what they are used for. Having insurance is fine unless you're performing work you're not qualified for. If you burn a house down because you wired it improperly and you're not an electrician, your insurance is pointless. If you hire an electrician and he/she kills him/herself you'd better have the right type of WCB.
In general you're probably a good guy but when push comes to shove I guarantee you're not going to reach into your life savings, pull out 20-50-100k just to make things right with someone you've, for whatever reason, have harmed. That's why the proper licenses, warranties and insurances exist.
I always thought HOH was the greatest thing for the contracting business. Just explain that you're more than happy to "Make It Right" and here is the corresponding bill.