I try to use home service people---plumbers, carpet cleaners, basement repair, roofers, etc--as little as possible. Aside from the cost, one reason is that they do a fair amount of damage while they're fixing something.
For example, at my last house, I had some basement guys come out to install new drain tile. In the process, they put their sledgehammers and other tools on top of the dryer, denting it. They also managed to get concrete on both the washer and dryer.
Plumbers usually aren't too bad, just leaving a big mess, but some will put dents in the walls or scratch the floors.
Roofers leave all sorts of debris in the yard, and usually ruin the lawn.
Yesterday I had a guy come out to clean my carpeting. After he left, I found small chips of paint on the floors where his flexible hose had rubbed against the corners of the walls. He also cleaned a 10' x 12' area rug in the bedroom. It's now half bright and half dark brown. I don't think it can be fixed, but we'll see.
I'd like to go to their homes and see if everything is pristine, or if the homes are a wreck.
And don't even get me started on Harley mechanics.
