Get In Touch with Shim & Mallet Advocate

This page says what the site can take from you, what it cannot, and what to have ready before you write about a quote.

Whether a message reaches anyone

We run this site as a plain record of what to check before a Massachusetts builder starts work. It does not take bookings, it does not quote prices, and it does not put anyone in touch with a contractor. At present it publishes no email address and no phone number, and it has no contact form that sends a message anywhere. Nothing typed into this site is passed on to us.

A specific question about your own quote is worth more to us than a general one about contractors.

Email: None published on this site.
Phone: None published on this site.
Contact form: This site has no form that sends messages.

What this site cannot help with

A man in a pink sweater stands in a kitchen with cream cabinets, oak counters and an oak floor — Generated for this site. It shows a kitchen layout, not a job, a crew or a customer.

A hand rests on a pale quartz counter beside a white mug and a folded card — Generated for this site. It is a picture of a counter and a note, not a testimonial from anyone.

How long a reply can take

No reply time can honestly be promised, because no channel for messages is set up on this site. If you have a question about a quote you are holding, the quote helper on the resources page works without anyone writing back: you answer its questions about your own paperwork and it shows the reasons behind its verdict. The questions in the community FAQ cover the most common doubts about deposits, permits and written scopes.

What to have ready before you write

If a way to write to the site is added later, a message will be read more quickly if it arrives with the facts already gathered. Have the quote in front of you, with the date it was given and the name the business prints on it. Note the trade the work falls under, such as a patio, a kitchen, a foundation repair or a plowing contract, and the town where the work would happen.

Then write down the questions that the quote leaves open: whether the scope is listed line by line, whether materials are named, and whether any promise was made only out loud.