Reference Checks That Tell You Something: What to Ask About Callbacks and Follow-Up Before You Hire

A reference is a past customer who will talk to you about a job you are considering. The most useful part of that conversation is rarely whether they liked the crew. It is what happened after the crew left. Ask the questions below, and write the answers down next to each bid.

Ask about the callback, not the compliment

Ask whether they had to call the company back for the same problem, and how long it took to resolve. A friendly crew that never returns is a different situation from a crew that comes back the next day. Ask who answered when they called with a problem, and whether they reached a person or a message line.

Ask whether the job matched the paper

Ask whether the final invoice matched the written estimate line for line. Ask whether any item was added after work started, and whether they were asked before it was done. Set their answer beside the scope you wrote down from each bid. If the paper and the bill did not match, ask what they did about it and how long it took.

Ask about the day itself

Ask whether the crew arrived inside the window they were given, whether they called ahead, and whether they cleaned up and left the work area as they found it. Ask whether the job took longer or shorter than they were told. These are small facts, but they show you how the next visit to your home is likely to go.

Ask what they would change

Ask what they would do differently if they hired the same company again. A reference who can name one thing is more useful than one who says everything was perfect. Ask whether they kept the paperwork and whether it was easy to find when they needed it later.

Ask about the system after the install

Ask how the equipment has performed since the install, and whether it has been serviced by the same company. If the job was a heat pump, for example, ask whether the first season went without a return visit. Use the planning dates on the heat pump page of this site as the yardstick for how long the equipment should be in service, and ask the reference whether anything has needed attention so far.

Write the answers next to the bid

Keep one page for each bidder. Put the callback answer, the paper match, the day-of notes, and the reference's one suggested change together on that page. Do not compare the bidders on who sounded friendlier on the phone. Compare them on what their past customers said happened when something went wrong. If a reference will not talk to you, note that as well. That is an answer too.