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Online Certification ~ Pro's and Con's?

Ken Fenner

Active member
Not to steer this conversation sideways but I will for a moment. Henry mentioned licensing. I'm all for it if it is enforced. That seems to be where the plot falls apart. AHJ passes a licensing law but has no plan in place to implement the manpower (or the money to increase public awareness) for enforcement. The same goes for reclaim. I'll buy a $30,000 rig if it puts the smaller, corner cutting companies out of the game. But, just like gun control, and security cameras, the only ones that abide by the law are the ones that were already doing the right thing.

How do we go about convincing municipalities that passing BMP's and licensing laws without enforcement is just a way of screwing the honest guys?
 

Henry Bockman

New member
In the DC area consumers are pretty careful, if the MHIC says someone should have a license most people will use a contractor that has one. The ones that hire the cheap illegal guy don't bother me too much, they will mess something up and get sued by the homeowner. Once licensing is required in Maryland the MHIC will enforce it when they find a non lisenced contractor. It's revenue for them! Also, some advertisers won't list unlicensed company advertisements, so that's another plus.

In the long run it may or may not make a huge impact in MD but it will help and it will force these guys to become compliant or face fines and jail time. Expecially if they mess up someones property without a license!
 

Beth Borrego

New member
In the DC area consumers are pretty careful, if the MHIC says someone should have a license most people will use a contractor that has one. The ones that hire the cheap illegal guy don't bother me too much, they will mess something up and get sued by the homeowner. Once licensing is required in Maryland the MHIC will enforce it when they find a non lisenced contractor. It's revenue for them! Also, some advertisers won't list unlicensed company advertisements, so that's another plus.

In the long run it may or may not make a huge impact in MD but it will help and it will force these guys to become compliant or face fines and jail time. Expecially if they mess up someones property without a license!

Well put. There are some really good unlicensed companies, who I hope get their MHIC, they are a credit to our industry. :clap:

On the other hand, I have seen too many blow and go hack jobs where the decks are torn up and need serious work to be fixed. Why?

1. other guy was cheaper
2. other guy could be there within 48 hours
3. washed and sealed in one trip (don't even get me started on that)
4. washing sold as "green" - high pressure only
5.other guy gave a phone quote based on the client trying to figure out how big the deck was.

AAAAGGGGHHH!!!!! :mad:

Beth
 

Daniel Hulbert

New member
I agree with Roger You can't have the test conducted by the training facility. I think a separate group should be tasked with creating a test independent of the trainers and should be proctored by another party as well. When I took my Real Estate License test first you had to go through a 65hr course then you had two chances to take the test if you failed the first time you had to wait 30 days then take again.The second test was a completely different test and was designed to be harder then the first test, if you fail the second test you had to retake the 65hr course and retake the test again this goes on until you pass. Seems kinda harsh but will definitely weed out the Home Depot weekend washers that low ball everything. With an org like UAMCC if this was setup properly from the start it could definitely bring credibility to the industry.
 

Tony Shelton

Environmental Consultant / Past Director
I agree with Roger You can't have the test conducted by the training facility. I think a separate group should be tasked with creating a test independent of the trainers and should be proctored by another party as well. When I took my Real Estate License test first you had to go through a 65hr course then you had two chances to take the test if you failed the first time you had to wait 30 days then take again.The second test was a completely different test and was designed to be harder then the first test, if you fail the second test you had to retake the 65hr course and retake the test again this goes on until you pass. Seems kinda harsh but will definitely weed out the Home Depot weekend washers that low ball everything. With an org like UAMCC if this was setup properly from the start it could definitely bring credibility to the industry.

Daniel, I hate to burst your bubble, but every housewife and car salesman with a pen and a few hours a week to spare was licensed as a Real Estate Agent in Nevada for the past 6 years.

Now they are all gone. Licensing didn't weed them out. The ones who planned for the long term weeded them out along with REAL competition.

Vigorous competition thins the herd, not government regulation.
 

Daniel Hulbert

New member
Your not bursting my bubble :headshakesmile-fast but here in Florida you have people working out of the back of there station wagon with a Home Depot PW, no county license, no insurance and absolutely no idea what the he!! They are doing, what Im getting at is due to the cost and time they would have to commit to achieve the education and certificate you will thin out some not all, also Im not talking about any Government involvement just a professional organization that has National recognition. There are alot more pieces of the puzzle that will need to be put together before anyone will see results but all great ideas have to start somewhere sure there will be mistakes along the way and ideas will have to change as well but we need to start somewhere and the sooner we start to develop some form of education and certification program the better
 

Doug Rucker

UAMCC Board of Directors
Some great points here,,,, I think the main thing is we need to educate....increase the professionalism of our trade...somehow market that not just anyone can do what we do, the way we do it, with the results we achieve...and safely. Some how the public has gotten the idea they can just go buy a PW'er at HD, Lowes and get the same results we do. It's just not possible. I think by offering certifications and teaching contractors how to use the certifications would go a long way in that. That and a National Advertising Campaign.
 

Tony Shelton

Environmental Consultant / Past Director
Some great points here,,,, I think the main thing is we need to educate....increase the professionalism of our trade...somehow market that not just anyone can do what we do, the way we do it, with the results we achieve...and safely. Some how the public has gotten the idea they can just go buy a PW'er at HD, Lowes and get the same results we do. It's just not possible. I think by offering certifications and teaching contractors how to use the certifications would go a long way in that. That and a National Advertising Campaign.

Doug, here is a test for you.

Let's say you are getting ready to hire an HVAC company to fix your AC. You figure you might have to spend up to $3k.

Where do you look?
What certifications must they have?
What org must they belong to?

Now, before you start looking that info up, think about last time you called on an AC company and answer those questions based on that time.

I am just trying to get us looking in the right direction before we spend a lot of time and effort on anything that may not have as much value as we theorize.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
 

Doug Rucker

UAMCC Board of Directors
Where do I look?? My Church
Certifications?? Didn't really Check
Org? Not a requirement for me because I know the person/company

How I find a contractor or person to work at my home is far different than the General Public does though. Having worked in the HVAC business, I do know from past experience that the certifications we had did matter to a lot of people, not all but a lot.
 

Tony Shelton

Environmental Consultant / Past Director
Where do I look?? My Church
Certifications?? Didn't really Check
Org? Not a requirement for me because I know the person/company

How I find a contractor or person to work at my home is far different than the General Public does though. Having worked in the HVAC business, I do know from past experience that the certifications we had did matter to a lot of people, not all but a lot.

Maybe we can all put our heads together and figure out what really drives a customer to a particular contractor and focus on that angle once the certs are in place.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
 

Doug Rucker

UAMCC Board of Directors
Yes I agree Tony, I often get customers asking if I am "licensed" and insured, these of course are always owners of very large upscale homes, 1, 2 million and above. I often wonder if a cert would fit nicely in the conversation right there, as well as talking about continuing education.
 

John Orr

UAMCC Treasurer
In my residential washing, Angie's List, as well as surfers, have become a major lead generator. My point is that more and more Homeowners are turning to the Internet to find "qualified" contractors of all types.

Case in point, I scheduled a new customer last week that found me through PayPal! PayPal has a listing of businesses that accept PayPal payments. This customer is in Japan and owns a home in my area, so how to pay was a concern.
 

John Orr

UAMCC Treasurer
My point was that customers are making buying choices without actually meeting us, so a great resume will bring us business.
 
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