PRESS RELEASE Of interest to editors and journalists covering: Home & Garden, Office/Home Office, Contracting, Interior Design, Real Estate, KS Business AAA Screening Service Launches Contractor Screening Service(sm) to Protect Consumers from Home Improvement Fraud MISSION, KS - February 6, 2004 /Send2Press Newswire/ -- Today, AAA Screening Service, Inc. announced the availability of Contractor Search Reports(sm) that offers a quick, convenient way for consumers to protect their family and home during home improvement projects. Reports help ensure protection from such items as criminals, sex offenders, inexperienced workers, liabilities, liens, fraud and more. The process is easy. Homeowners and prospective contractor(s) fill out the application. The completed application is then faxed to AAA Screening. Within five days the homeowner receives a Contractor Search Report(sm) that summarizes the contractor, verifies relevant information, provides helpful hints and more. Bringing Screening Expertise to the Home Improvement Market Homeowners will spend anywhere from $5,000 to redo a room to up to $75,000 for a complete remodel. Most homeowners are daunted by the task of selecting a contractor. Some homeowners are uncertain of what to ask. Some are too reserved to ask the tough questions. Some just don't have the time. That's exactly why AAA Screening launched their contractor screening services. AAA Screening has done all the research and has all the expertise, sources and know-how. "I followed conventional wisdom and called three references from my each contractor. It turns out I didn't ask the right questions and the references were from more than six months ago. I still got burned," said Katie Olvera of Olathe, Kansas, about finishing her 1,000 sq ft basement. "I could have avoided project delays, thousands of dollars in cost overruns and litigation had I used a contractor screening service like AAA Screening offers." Home Improvement Industry Riddled with Complaints The Twelfth Annual Consumer Complaint Survey conducted by the NACAA/CFA revealed that home improvement came in second to automobile sales with 67% of consumer agencies reporting home improvement as a top area of consumer complaints. Home improvement was also named as one of the fastest growing complaint categories and the type of industry in which a company is most likely to go out of business and reopen under another name. Unfortunately under such conditions, contractors cannot be accepted at face value. Conducting such a through screening takes time, research and tenacity that some homeowners don't have or don't want to expend. AAA Screening Service launched its Contractor Search Reports(sm) to provide homeowners with a quick, convenient method for conducting through background checks before hiring a contractor. Various Contractor Search Reports(sm) available to meet homeowners' needs Contractor Search Reports(sm) range in price from $45 to $155 depending on the information provided, which can include: * Summary and Suggestions * Business and License Verification * Insurance and Bond Verification * Criminal History of the On-Site Manager * Civil history on the Business and the Business Principal. * References from three recent customers and one repeat customer * Credit History to understand financial stability * References from banking institution and two suppliers * Sub-Contractor Basic Search ReportSM Turnaround time is three to five business days. Stop by the Remodeling Show in Kansas City, MO AAA Screening will be in booth 524 at the Remodeling Show at the American Royal Center February 6-8, 2004. About AAA Screening AAA Screening is a national screening company helping minimize potential problems and maximize profitability. AAA Screening offers business, contractor, employee, and tenant screening services. For more information call 800.289.7015 or visit http://www.AAAScreening.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Meents, President of AAA Screening Service, Inc. +1-913-384-1129 jmeents@AAAScreening.com # # # [ source of news = AAA Screening Service, Inc. ] ref: http://www.send2press.com/2archive/2004/pr_04_0206-screening.txt http://www.send2press.com/2archivePDF/pr_04_0206-screening.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *IMPORTANT NOTE TO MEDIA: to reach the organization releasing this news, please contact: jmeents@AAAScreening.com If used for publication, please send specimen copy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- S2P-n/0c/ KS MO / Mission, Kansas / Copr. (c) 2004 Send2Press. This release was issued on behalf of the above organization, who is solely responsible for accuracy of content, by Send2Press(tm), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com .