Paving Scam Alert - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

darockwilder · 04-08-2009, 05:06 PM

So this guy with an English accent walks into my office today (a couple of blocks from Chinook Centre) looking for a manager. I go and talk to him and he tells me he's doing a paving job "just around the corner" tomorrow before the long weekend and they'll have left over asphalt. He asks me if he can fill the potholes in our parking area, seeing as they are "really bad". I think they just want to dump the stuff to get rid of it, but then he starts telling me how the asphalt is "highway grade" and that it's normally $8 a square foot, but we can have it for $3. Now this makes me even more skeptical than I already am and I again ask where they're doing their work. He vaguely waves and points at nowhere in particular, "oh, over there. We're doing work at Chinook too." I tell him that we have no interest, he mumbled a bit and then took off in his grey Chrysler 300 (parked in such a fashion that his plate was hidden). A quick google search showed this was probably a scam. Be cautious if this guy offers you a deal.

Bagor · 04-08-2009, 05:12 PM

Looks like the Pikeys have reached Canada.

flip · 04-08-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bagor

Looks like the Pikeys have reached Canada.

I think you meant to say they've finally moved beyond Newfoundland.

jolinar of malkshor · 04-08-2009, 11:03 PM

How was it a scam? Did he want the money before he did the work?

ken0042 · 04-08-2009, 11:13 PM

I'm wondering how it's a scam as well; unless he wanted cash up front.

Having lived in new developments, I know several people who let concrete guys know if they had extra to let them know. Concrete guy has extra and instead of dumping it somewhere he gives it to somebody who can use it, and some cash changes hands. Everybody wins.

4X4 · 04-08-2009, 11:34 PM

Probably just rubbed him the wrong way by seeming shifty and trying to sell something at a "one time only" price. But yeah, when you think about it, it's not a bad deal. As long as they really meant by the cubic foot, or at least that filling each pothole would really only be $6 or something (unless there were huge potholes).

edit* woah, bad math

darockwilder · 04-09-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

How was it a scam? Did he want the money before he did the work?

All I know is that all our extension cords were gone after he left.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

I'm wondering how it's a scam as well; unless he wanted cash up front.

Having lived in new developments, I know several people who let concrete guys know if they had extra to let them know. Concrete guy has extra and instead of dumping it somewhere he gives it to somebody who can use it, and some cash changes hands. Everybody wins.

That makes sense, but somehow this guy knew a day in advance that they would have extra asphalt. Wouldn't you prepare less if you were certain that you would have too much? Plus I suggested he go to another business that has a parking lot around the corner and he drove the exact opposite way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

Probably just rubbed him the wrong way by seeming shifty and trying to sell something at a "one time only" price. But yeah, when you think about it, it's not a bad deal. As long as they really meant by the cubic foot, or at least that filling each pothole would really only be $6 or something (unless there were huge potholes).

I'm still trying to find the potholes he was talking about, plus there are snowbanks all over where he was suggesting we needed repairs. Not a problem, he said. Anyway, I guess I missed out on a great deal on highway grade asphalt. He did seem shifty, he never did say "I'm from ABC Asphalt" or anything and he wasn't in a marked company vehicle. I'll see if there is actually any paving going on around here today.

Bobblehead · 04-09-2009, 10:00 AM

I thought are pretty good at knowing exactly how much they needed?

A few years ago I had a neighbour who hauled asphalt and he was saying how 20 years ago they would have overages and be able to pave someone's lane with the extra, but now they are usually less than a yard off.

Boblobla · 04-09-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

I thought are pretty good at knowing exactly how much they needed?

Huh?

English plz.

Bobblehead · 04-09-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boblobla

Huh?

English plz.

I thought are pretty good at knowing exactly how much asphalt they need?

Jedi Ninja · 04-09-2009, 10:14 AM

http://www.servicealberta.ca/997.cfm

It is a common "scam" across the country.

I want to know what the deal is with the guy going door to door selling meat.

red sky · 04-09-2009, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

I thought are pretty good at knowing exactly how much asphalt they need?

Keep trying

Jason14h · 04-09-2009, 10:16 AM

This isn't a scam in all likelihood.

Yeah they are pretty good at knowing how much they need, but not accurate to the SQ foot.

We had this happen at our place and they asked if our driveway needed the holes fills. Instead we had the guy do the potholes on the side road for $20.

At $3 a SQ Foot how many SQ feet do you think your potholes would have cost!!!!

The pavers would rather pocket $20 for 10 mins of work then have to clean the stuff out of the truck and throw it away!

EDIT: In regards to the above posting of the "scam" why would you pay them before they do the work, etc! They are doing this "off the books" for extra pocket money.

Resolute 14 · 04-09-2009, 10:17 AM

The scam likely is that he is offering garbage quality and trying to claim it is higher grade. Whatever potholes he might fill would be potholes again within a month.

Jedi Ninja · 04-09-2009, 10:18 AM

Just google "paving left over" and you see tons of hits.

It's similar to the guys who go around selling left over speakers out of vans in parking lots.

You actually do get something, but you get overcharged for it.

Jason14h · 04-09-2009, 10:19 AM

Quote:

The scam likely is that he is offering garbage quality and trying to claim it is higher grade. Whatever potholes he might fill would be potholes again within a month.

Now this is probably true! But at $3 a SQ Foot for potholes it's prob worth it to not have the potholes for a month!

SportsJunky · 04-09-2009, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darockwilder

All I know is that all our extension cords were gone after he left.

Well played sir.

Bring_Back_Shantz · 04-09-2009, 10:22 AM

Am I the only one who is annoyed by the fact that more than one person has referenced Square feet of asphalt to fill a pothole?

I know it's nitpicky, but it's a pet peeve of mine. Volume = cubic feet.

That being said, even if it is a scam I fail to see the potential to make a lot of money off of it. Seriously even if you have a bunch of potholes that are all 1 cubic foot (that seems like a pretty big ass pothole) you're still only out a few bucks for each one.

Resolute 14 · 04-09-2009, 10:28 AM

Because, as noted in the link above, you never get a SOW or any written contract. The price they offer and the price they actually charge are completely different.

Not to mention that while the material cost is x, you can be damn sure they aren't doing the labour for free. Oops, you forgot to ask about that before agreeing!

Jedi Ninja · 04-09-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Am I the only one who is annoyed by the fact that more than one person has referenced Square feet of asphalt to fill a pothole?

I know it's nitpicky, but it's a pet peeve of mine. Volume = cubic feet.

That being said, even if it is a scam I fail to see the potential to make a lot of money off of it. Seriously even if you have a bunch of potholes that are all 1 cubic foot (that seems like a pretty big ass pothole) you're still only out a few bucks for each one.

I'll offer you $3 a square foot to fix the pot holes in your parking lot.

Your parking lot is 100 x 100 = 10000 sq-feet. You owe me $30,000.

Thank you.