How many of you preservation contractors out there are being ripped off by the big national companies. Safeguard Properties is trying to scam me out of thousands of dollars. I bill everything according to thier pricing schedule (much less than the HUD standard), however they feel that they can just knock off $300 here and $500 there with no explanation. Worse yet is you cant get anyone from Safeguard to even look into it, they just route you to the billing dept and the billing dept. routes you back to the regionals. If your in the same boat and fed up PM me.

I recently hired a Safeguard contractor to do a trash out for me direct (in excess of $4000), I paid quickly and in full but will have to stand the time for getting the reimbursement. Part of our conversation indicated how far Safeguard was behind in paying for the services contracted through them.

I get better service, and better pricing, when I hire direct; probably because of my prompt pay policy!

Mr. Foreclosure ~

I wish there were more clients like you. I'm still doing battle with the AM who caused me to write off between $6 and $7k before I could get anything at all. They still owe me quite a bit and I have no doubt I'll have to write off more.

I just checked my work order status at their site and, even though I terminated my relationship with them over 3 months ago, there are still 20 past due work orders sitting in my bucket that haven't been reassigned. I find that to be typical of this company.

On the bright side, I've never been one to put all my eggs in one basket and have many clients who DO pay. So at least I'm still able to operate without starving myself and my crew.

But to JustMott.........

When I worked for Safeguard, they always sent a chargeback e-mail and gave you a chance to dispute it before they made their deductions. Are they not doing that anymore?

The biggest problem I had with them was when I called for authorization for additional compensation because my crew and I showed up to do a trashout at a property where there were huge amounts of debris and ended up costing me more in labor and dump fees. 9 times out of 10, they authorized it but didn't send anything in writing. 1/2 of those non-poc authorizations didn't get paid.

I got fed up with them breaking promises while we were busting our fannies to get jobs done so I terminated them in mid-March of this year and I haven't regretted my decision even once.

I put in long days cultivating new relationships so that the termination wouldn't leave me high and dry. In the end, it was worth the long days with little sleep. I have a very good group of clients to work with now.

Linda

I hope contractors working directly with agents/brokers becomes more common. I think it would be less headache for everyone.

Working directly with agents and brokers is the only way to go. The roughest part is the "getting to know you" phase because everyone has different ways of doing things. What works for one client may not be the same for another but communication is the key to making it work and getting the job done to everyone's satisfaction.

Working one-on-one cuts out so many of the delays, too, and we're able to get the jobs done a whole lot faster. About 95% of my clients get back with me right away if I have a question or need clarification and I appreciate that tremendously.

Once you know who you're working with, all you need is approval to get the job done. You already know what to do and your clients feel comfortable knowing you'll take care of them.

Linda

Oh yes i was scamed for $15000.00 or more from a company I worked for out of Las Vegas NV.When i would call about my pay they would say it will be there soon well guess what its 7 mouths and I haven't gotten anything.

ricatrmf ~

If this Las Vegas company also has an operation in San Diego, California, PM me.

If it's who I'm thinking of, I know several people who are going through the same thing you are with him.

I might be able to help. If not, I may be able to put you in touch with someone else who can tell you how he got his payments settled.

Linda

Learn how to file liens at county courthouse. Your invoices will get paid by or at closing. Seen this done dozens of times by local vendors. Good Luck!

Hi this is Al from ARV this information is very concerning since I have been in contact with the recruiter from Safeguard to possibly receive some work in my area......Is there any way to curtail these issues before receiving the work orders?

Al ~

There's no way to tell ahead of time what will happen.

The only advice I can give you is to make sure you follow the photo guidelines required by the client, the work is done on time and properly, and you invoice according to the pricing determined by who you get the jobs from.

In some cases, the AM will allow you to invoice according to HUD or FHA. In rare cases, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac or VA pricing will be allowed. Most of the nationals, however, are starting to use their own set pricing so just be aware of what their prices are.

Stay organized and don't delete your job photos once you've uploaded them. If the AM loses them, they won't pay you if you can't re-send or upload them again.

I wish you luck in your new venture.

Linda

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the payment issues I have experienced with Safeguard. I only perform work that is specifically requested, and I bill according to Safeguard's pricing schedule. I document every job with my digital camera and submit the photos with my invoice (as many as 500 photos per job). I submit very detailed bids for any work that is beyond the scope of the work order (e.g. roofing repairs, drywall repairs, trashouts that exceed 40 cyd ect.) and I do not perform any work without bid approval. I think they just have people working at Safeguard whom spend their days trying to figure out how to not pay you. The way they let contractors know they will be short paid on an invoice is to merely send an e-mail stating "Please note your invoice for work order #0000 has been adjusted, the new invoice total is $575.00 (original total $850.00). If you disagree with this adjustment please forward your response to aaa@aaa.com". At which time I will forward a response stating that anything less than payment in full will not be acceptable. I never get a response to my e-mails contesting the adjustments, they just send out the short check. Im going to the courthouse tomorrow to file leins. Hope your experience is better Al, but I wouldnt count on it.



[quote=ARV001]Hi this is Al from ARV this information is very concerning since I have been in contact with the recruiter from Safeguard to possibly receive some work in my area......Is there any way to curtail these issues before receiving the work orders? [/quote]

Wow, this is an awakening for me since this company is said to be "reputable" in my area with the other contractors...well as the ole saying goes one monkey don't stop the show" It truly appears as though I will have to resort to oteher tactics to keep the work flowing for my crew and I. I truly appreciate the feed back from all of you.. Thank you for taking the time to respond


Alarice Vidale de Palacios
OWNER
ARV Contractors
arvcontractors@hotmail.com

Not all national companies rip you off and most of them do exactly what they are supposed to do in terms of running a business.

I'm not trying to put down prior comments about being ripped off. I think all contractors have a story or two to tell.

In this industry, Safeguard has a reputation of being the strictest bar none. Nobody is close.

I do work for a big national company and they told me they have a quality review team that analysis every job to find any possible mistake on my companies behalf and short the invoice. For example, if I miss the photo of the winterization sticker on the front door, I lose 10% of $120 ($12). This was the price of my education. Likewise, when my subs miss this photo, they get charged back also. We dont miss this one very often.

I still get upset when I get charged back. To be fair, whether the mistake was bullshit or not, the mistake is always my own.

I think the biggest problem contractors have in this field is they think they are cleanup guys and instead they are really auditors. This work requires more methodical and detail work than it does F350s and muscle.

US Best Repairs, the company I co-own, has a policy of paying contractors within 14 days of their invoice.

The reason for this is twofold. First, that we came up from a single-man field service, and understand the way it feels to not be paid for a lock change or a lawn cut in the dead of summer.

Second, most importantly, the shear quality of work improves across the board. We have been ridiculed by other national companies for our policies, but they seem to work for us. If we have invoices cut by our clients, then clearly it is a problem with our office. Either we did not train you properly or we didnt explain what photos were needed. Either way, not your problem. That is, unless you repeat the error again.

Im new in here and am looking to do trashout/sales clean in the southern ohio area dayton,cincinatti or anywhere close. would be grateful to anyone who could point me in the right direction of someone i should contact to get me some work.i have a large box truck and at least 4 men that are ready to work now.