Click and Improve Applauds NYC Crackdown on Illegal, Unlicensed Contractors

LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Click and Improve, the full-service online home improvement company serving the NY/NJ/CT region, today announced its strong support of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs' crackdown on illegal, unlicensed contractors.

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) yesterday announced that during a two-month period in which more than 380 inspections were conducted, one in five home improvement contractors were caught operating without a license.  According to the DCA, 755 inspections have been conducted throughout the City in the last year with nearly 400 violations issued, 134 vehicles seized and more than 60 licenses revoked or suspended.  The majority of the nearly 600 complaints received by DCA about home improvement contractors in the past year involved contractors failing to follow through on the terms of their contracts with homeowners.  Home improvement contractors are consistently one of DCA's highest complaint categories.

Three entrepreneurial New York business partners — Avi Zikry, Jesse Friedman and Alex Ushyarov, partners in New York Construction Co., a Better Business Bureau A+ rated construction company — recently launched a new venture, Click and Improve, based on their own experience and frustration of having frequently been called upon to help homeowners fix or complete projects after being victimized by disreputable home improvement contractors.

"The unfortunate truth is that the findings of the DCA's sweep of unlicensed contractors don't come as a surprise to us. Every day, people are frustrated trying to navigate the time-consuming, often unsavory world of home improvement and repair services," said Avi Zikry, co-founder of Click and Improve. "Having grown up in an era when the Internet and technology transformed the way we buy and sell goods and services, we created Click and Improve to help level the playing field between homeowners and service providers."

Using a custom online platform at www.ClickandImprove.com, the company helps homeowners identify the exact home improvement or repair service they need ("everyday" projects like fixing a leaky faucet, painting a room or installing a light fixture, to more comprehensive remodeling or renovation jobs), sets a fixed price for completing the job or, for larger projects, obtains a series of competitive bids from its network of local contractors, schedules an appointment to complete the job, and guarantees that the work is done to the customer's satisfaction by a reputable, licensed, bonded and insured service provider.

Click and Improve withholds payments to the service provider until the homeowner tells them the job was completed to their satisfaction. And Click and Improve offers a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee that the service and price they commit to is exactly what they will deliver.  There is no financial transaction between homeowner and the service provider who visits the home to conduct the work.

"The average homeowner leads a time-crunched, stressful life and is generally unaware of the costs and service requirements for common home improvement and repair projects, putting them at a major disadvantage," said Jesse Friedman, co-founder.  "Click and Improve puts homeowners first — saving time, protecting money, and ensuring satisfaction."

Click and Improve currently services customers in the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester County, Long Island, northern New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut. 

For more information about Click and Improve, to book a home repair or improvement project, or to use the new Click and Improve Bid Service, please visit www.ClickandImprove.com.  Find Click and Improve on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ClickandImprove and follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/clickandimprove.

SOURCE Click and Improve