Rico León On Why You Should Think Twice About Dragging Contractors On Social Media - Exclusive
If you're a homeowner who's in dire straits after being taken advantage of by a bad contractor, it's only natural to feel angry and powerless. But though dragging the contractor's name through the mud on social media might seem like a good idea in the heat of the moment, Rico León of HGTV's "Rico to the Rescue" strongly urges against this course of action. Not only is a digital rant unlikely to speed up your stalled renovation project, as the seasoned construction pro and advocate for desperate homeowners explained in an exclusive interview with House Digest, but it might also cost you a lot more money after all is said and done.
"What I've noticed — and this is probably everyone's biggest downfall — is communication. A lot of people like to vent," explained León. "There's many solutions, and what you don't want to do is go legal. What you don't want to do is blast their name on social media."
If you're wondering what harm a scathing one-star Yelp review and several blistering Facebook posts can cause, you're probably not alone. However, León has been in the game for quite a while and will be the first to tell you that the results can be disastrous. "They start suing you. The lawyers win, and you don't," he said.
Solutions trump anger
No matter what caused your home's construction project to stall, it's important to remember that finishing the project almost always benefits both the homeowner and the contractor. For this reason, an earnest conversation is usually on the table.
"The best thing to do is to have a meeting with that contractor and say, 'Hey, you know what? The past is the past. What can we do? What are the solutions moving forward? How about a 30-day plan? How about a 60-day plan? What are the things that we could do moving forward so I don't run your name through the ground and we don't go legal?'" Rico León said.
If a decidedly less diplomatic route still appeals to you, keep in mind that you won't be the first or last person who tries to get things done that way. In fact, even professionals attempt such a feat from time to time, and it rarely works out well. "It's tone. If you yell and say this and that ... Even on my show, I did the whole 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' thing, where I was like, 'Hey, you owe me.' They run away, and then there's no solution. Then the homeowner suffers for it, and my job's harder. I have to take on more work," León explained.
New episodes of "Rico to the Rescue" air Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on HGTV.