Code Of Ethics

In order to maintain the integrity and high standards of skill and practice in the foundation repair industry, the following rules of conduct and ethics shall be binding upon membership in the Wisconsin Association of Foundation Repair Professionals (WAFRP). Each member shall recognize these ethics as principles by which to govern their conduct. It is the duty of all members to practice according to this code of ethics. Violation of any of these principles of ethics is just grounds for expelling a member from the Wisconsin Association of Foundation Repair Professionals (WAFRP).

I. All members shall, to the best of their ability, abide by the minimum standards established by WAFRP for the repair of foundations and basement problems.

II. All members shall take out the required permits in any municipality where repairs are completed.

III. All members shall employ the services of a qualified consultant when the scope of needed repairs is outside of their knowledge or expertise.

IV. All members shall in plain language describe the repairs guaranteed and the extent of the guarantee. No guarantee shall, in any way, mislead the customer. If the guarantee is limited to the correction of seepage only, the guarantee shall specify that limitation and shall make it clear that the structural repairs are not guaranteed unless structural repair has been performed.  If any structural repairs are not guaranteed it shall so state.

V. No member shall use scare tactics in an attempt to sell basement or foundation repair work.  Scare tactics are defined as predictions of events unlikely to happen.

VI. No member shall initiate a foundation repair contract with the intent of selling additional work after the repair has started.  This does not prohibit a member from advising customers of additional defects needing correction after the repair has commenced, if those defects were not anticipated at the time the initial contract was entered into.

VII. No member who has been hired merely to do an inspection shall deliberately understate the necessary repairs in order to assist a realtor, home owner, or agent in the selling of a house. Any members who do inspections, shall in their report, indicate who hired them.

VIII. No member shall pay any realtor or third party a referral fee for referring a customer without full disclosure.

IX. Members shall be allowed to compare different techniques for foundation repair, pricing and guaranties.

X. No member shall slander other members or other foundation repair contractors.

XI. No member, in an attempt to sell services, shall make any reference to lawsuits, Better Business Bureau complaints, Consumer Protection complaints, past customer complaints, or past deficiencies in workmanship with regard to other members.

XII. No member shall ignore phone calls or complaints with customers.  If the member reaches a point where the member no longer feels any obligation to the customer and will not perform any more work or service, the member shall write the customer a letter to that effect.



ENFORCEMENT

If any member is reported to the Board of Directors of WAFRP as having violated any of the above Code of Ethics, the Board of Directors, or designated committee, shall have a hearing with regard to the matter. The Board shall hear from both the complainant and the member complained against. If the Board determines that there has been a violation of the Code of Ethics, the Board shall send a written notice to the member who has violated the Code of Ethics of the Board's findings. If the member shall have had two (2) complaints within a three (3) year period, or three (3) complaints within a five (5) period, wherein the Board has made a determination that the complaints are valid, the member will be expelled from WAFRP without the return of any paid membership fees.

If WAFRP is contacted about the practices of any member, WAFRP will disclose information only with regard to any member who is expelled and will only disclose the fact that complaints were received about the particular member, that WAFRP investigated the complaints and based upon its investigation, the member was expelled.