It is so good, and self-explanatory, I am just posting it verbatim.
Peggy
Finding The Right Contractor – Home Improvement Survey Points To The Best Ways
July 11, 2007
In a recent national study of 1,015 US homeowners, Consumer Specialists found that 66% of them had used a contractor for a home improvement project in the past. Overall levels of satisfaction were high with 76% saying that they were either extremely or very satisfied with the project. On a 7 point scale, the average rating was a 5.9 – almost to the level of very satisfied.
It is the 5% who reported that they were very or extremely dissatisfied that we hear about. The question often raised is how to improve your odds of being one of the highly satisfied customers? According to this survey, how the contractor was located had a marked impact on homeowner’s overall satisfaction with the project.
Those who used a contractor with whom they had previous personal experience were the most satisfied – significantly besting all other methods of finding a contractor. Referrals from family, friends and neighbors placed second in satisfaction followed by getting a recommendation from another contractor.
Having the contractor supplied by a home improvement store, finding them in a telephone directory or via advertising turned out to be significantly less satisfying than the top two locating methods.
“Nothing beats personal knowledge or independent referrals to get the best results for home improvement projects," said Fred Miller, President of Consumer Specialists. "Surprisingly, those that used a home improvement store provided contractor did about the same as those that used advertising as they way they found their contractor.”
This data comes from “In the Beginning” a special research project focused on understanding how homeowners approach that critical starting period in their projects. Included is the identification of three groups of consumers with different focuses to seeking information. They are (followed by the % of homeowners they represent): online (17%), personal network (23%) and contractor (23%) focused. The report on this study is available in a unique combined presentation/report format.
Please contact us for full information on this research report..
For More Information Contact:
Consumer Specialists
8265 Green Holly Cove, Germantown, TN 38138
Tel: 901 757-5865
Email to Fred@ConsumerSpecialists.com
