Beware -- the Irish traveler driveway guys are back archived

peteglider said:

These guys have been around and replaced quite a few driveways in the past few years. Of course, every year they disappear, numbers are disconnected, names change.

That said -- the drive they've done appear to be done very well and look good... but...

I was approached by someone -- I'd say the "low rent" version --

For the heck of it I drove by the roads he said they were working on.... no trucks anywhere, no drives look even remotely new.

How do you know he is an Irish Traveler?

would you rather just have Pete call them gypsy's?

They were all over my neighborhood in 2007. Most of the driveways they did had to be re-done by 2009. Forewarned is forearmed.

do you know the person's name? is it richie?

I think they may have been in our neighborhood earlier this week. Hubster leaves the door to the basement open when the PSEG reader is scheduled. He saw a guy approach the house and then go for the side door (hubster leaves a note saying go to side door just in case there is a different reader)--when hubster met the guy, the guy said he was selling driveway fixing. The guy went away, but certainly there was no reason for him to go to the side door if he wasn't legit.

If I was there I would have called the cops. (obtw, the side door may have been open, but there was only access to the basement---and, our regular PSEG reader rocks).

I'm glad your husband saw the guy and was able to prevent more mischief. I wouldn't want a stranger in my basement even if access to other floors would be difficult. It might be better not to leave a note in the future even if an alternate PSE&G reader can't get in the house occasionally.

A friend who lives in Roseland had this outfit of irish Travelers come by, all well and good at the start. She hired them to repave her driveway. They said they needed more money because they were purchasing materials and times were tight in the finance department; she buys their story line and off they went with her money, never again to be seen nor heard from.
Phones disconnected, etc just as the OP reported.

****Forwarned is definitely forewarmed in this case! They are professional swindlers.*****

The police were well aware of these shysters but could not catch them at that time; maybe they will be on the lookout again now. I am telling my friend so she can speak with the cops and some how find out if these guys are the same outfit who stole her money and ran.
She had a migraine or something the day they asked for more money, just was not thinking straight. It torments her to this day because it was a decent sum of money they stole from her.

They approached me the day after I had my oil tank pulled from under my driveway. They tried to convince me I didn't really need to wait for the dirt to settle from the excavation, that it would be fine to repave right away. Yeah, right.

I believe 60 Minutes did a piece on guys like this many years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRg7bbX6PKw

Someone came by and both rang my bell and started knocking loudly at the same time - like it was urgent. Said they were doing work locally and had extra asphalt on the truck a few streets over and noticed my driveway (which is undeniably crappy and needs to be redone but not just patching) I said I'd speak to my husband to put him off, as I've heard about this scam before...he left a card and it was light green with very basic info - a name - "Landmark Paving"? or something like that with a number but I don't recall anything about a lic. no. - later I noticed that the loose Belgian block at the end of my drive was pulled out and in the middle of the entrance to my drive - has not been that way before.

Please be very careful not to get involved with The Irish Travelers at all. 20/20 did show on them some years ago. They are not nice people at all. They are out scam people to get as much money as they can. The Irish Travelers stay to themselves and in bread. This was said in the 20/20 show on The Irish Travelers. Please I want everyone to be safe.

In bread? Like Irish Soda bread?

I hired them years ago and they did an excellent job. Driveway still looks great.

Based on a neighbor's recommendation, we hired an Irish accented guy to do our driveway last year. He said the paving season was ending and he needed to use up his supply. He did a seemingly fine job at what seemed like at least 1/2 the going rate. It's still holding up.

One little fella told me that I would find gold at the end of a rainbow! The bastahrd!

I don't believe anyone is saying that driveway contractors of Irish heritage should be avoided...I have no idea about if the guy who came to my door was Irish at all...but I'm wary of any contractor who goes door-to-door...his story was one I've heard in relation to scams over the years. Don't get distracted about the Irish part...

The "Irish Travellers" are a distinct group unto themselves. This is from Wikipedia:

"Irish Travellers (Irish: an lucht siúil) or Pavee are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions.[1][2] They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland as well as having large numbers in the United Kingdom and in the United States.[2][3],"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers

Jasmo said:

The "Irish Travellers" are a distinct group unto themselves. This is from Wikipedia:

"Irish Travellers (Irish: an lucht siúil) or Pavee are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions.[1][2] They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland as well as having large numbers in the United Kingdom and in the United States.[2][3],"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Travellers

and there is a community, Murphy, is SC.

I asked why the person who showed up was automatically labeled an Irish Traveler. I suppose they leave their homes about this time looking for work.

I had a little red headed guy show up who wanted to patch my driveway with purple hearts, yellow moons, orange stars and green clovers. Then some kids showed up and he ran away.

PINK hearts! )

Thats right, he was at your house to ?!!!

You know, my Grandmother couldn't stand the sight of them. She called them ''the gypsies'' too, as well as the travelers and she warned us kids against them frequently. there was one allowable exception to her rule: a single fellow who pushed a cart down the middle of the street calling out, ''scissors sharpened! sharpen yer knives!''

The people have been here long enough to have offspring. There was a case about 5 years ago with a Traveler from one of the Carolinas abusing her kid on shopping center videotape.

In 2007-2008 there was a cable show called The Riches. It ran for about 20 episodes and starred Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard, Todd Stashwick, Noel Fisher (so terrible on SVU as Dale Stuckey) and others. It was about Irish travelers in the US and it was wonderful and funny with a great cast. So sorry it was cancelled.

And now you can watch their real life weddings on TLC - Friday night I think.

aren't those weddings and such just awful? I watched several, horrified. Lights on the wedding gown. first holy communion dresses that look like las vegas on steroids. very trashy stuff.

They did our driveway and garage floor and did a great job. I didn't even realize they were Irish Travellers. THey told me they were Ecuadorian, but what do I know?

FC said:

They did our driveway and garage floor and did a great job. I didn't even realize they were Irish Travellers. THey told me they were Ecuadorian, but what do I know?

How did you find out that they were really Irish Travellers?

Thanks for the heads up,... We do not get many unexpected visitors, so I was hesitant to answer the door. I spoke to the guy through the glass, opened the door to take his card. Same story, " Oh we are working on a house over on Old Indian Rd ( then he pointed in the total wrong direction), and have extra asphalt... real cheap , etc".. I said no thanks, but would keep his contact info. Two men in a dark blue, unmarked, pickup. Later in the day, saw a brightly colored van with the name and phone number of the business, tried to see if there was a NJ contractor number but with all the decoration on the van , couldn't find it quickly enough.. Looked like the van has one of those graphic wraps, or perhaps a really good graphic artist painted the van. There was a skimpily- clad woman painted on the back door, and the primary color of the van was a lime green. VERY NOTICEABLE. I will have to check the card, but the business might be called " PAVE WAYS" and the van had a 732 area code number on it.

I don't know if the experience we just had was a traveler or not, but it was a bit odd. Mt. L and I were getting out of our car in the Trader Joes (Milburn) parking lot. Our Jeep has a dented rear bumper. A guy drove up in a van and said he could fix the dent. Mr. L pointed out that the entire rear bumper cover would have to be removed and replaced, which would be very expensive (and which is why we haven't done it). The guy argued for a minute that he wouldn't have to do that, then said "forget it" and drove away. Weird.