Contractors and Repair Shops in Wisconsin

DATCP's home improvement rule requires a written, signed contract when the buyer must pay before the work is finished or when the seller solicited the job away from its place of business, by mail, phone or flyers; the contract must state all material terms, including the seller's and salesperson's names and addresses and a description of the work and principal materials. Changes must also be in writing. If the buyer prepaid and the seller misses the contract deadline, fails to give required delay notice, or (with no deadline) does not perform in a timely manner, the buyer may cancel, demand return of unspent payments, demand delivery of materials bought with the buyer's money, and demand a written accounting.

Under Wisconsin's motor vehicle repair rule, no shop may perform repairs the customer has not authorized. Before starting repairs that may cost more than $50, the shop must write up a dated repair order describing the authorized work and, if there was face-to-face contact, give the customer a copy and either a firm price quote or a statement of estimate alternatives (the price will not exceed the estimate without the customer's permission). Before doing additional repairs, the shop must contact the customer with a description and price estimate and get authorization. The shop must give back replaced parts if the customer asked before the repair began (warranty or exchange parts may instead be shown for inspection), and must give an estimated completion date when it accepts a prepayment of $250 or more. A customer who loses money because of a violation may sue for twice the loss plus costs and attorney fees.