Construction Trade Research Area

Frequently Asked Questions
and Policies
Policies stated here are subject to change without notice.  If you are filing a claim, it is recommended that you use the printed version of this page which shows
the version and revision date.

1.

If I don't read this page, will I be held responsible for it's contents?

  Yes.  It has been shown in credit card disputes that the card holder is responsible for published policies herein.

Keep in mind that we are a small company that does not believe it needs to hire an army of lawyers to write page after page of legal entrapments to default you into agreements that you don't understand.  Corporations do this to wash their hands of all responsibility for their actions.  We believe that this is ethically wrong and does not promote good will towards our customers.

2.

Why haven't I received a reply to my email request?
  We do our best to answer all emails within four (4) business days of being received unless one of the following scenarios exist:
  1. You did not use the contact form on our "contact us" page which collects all the information we need to locate your order in our system.

  2. Our emails are getting blocked by your email server.  Check to see that our emails are not being directed into your junk (bulk) email folder or rejected by your spam blocking software at the server level.

    If you are using web mail like Yahoo or Hotmail, you will find the spam settings in one of the user menus or buttons.  If you're using POP3 mail with Outlook Express, Thunderbird or Eudora, you must access your mail box through the web interface provided by your ISP to check your spam settings and find your junk mail folder.

  3. We are unable to decipher your message.  Sometimes we receive emails where the person can't form a legible sentence.  This is usually caused by illiteracy or "English as a second language."

    The language of commerce in the United States is English.  So, for those people that have not learned the language of commerce, it would be a good idea to find an English speaking friend to write your email.  We do not provide language interpretation services.  In other words, if we can't understand the question, you'll have to write us again and re-phrase in proper English.

  4. You refused to give us any information about your order.  A contact form that's missing either an order number, order date, PayPal transaction number or receipt number will be deleted.

  5. You did not give us order information that matched our database. Sometimes we see wives ordering for husbands and secretaries ordering from their boss.  They complicate matters by using an email that does not match the address they gave PayPal to pay for their order.  So, both the name and email does not match an order stored in our database.

  6. You did not read this page completely.  We often receive emails that ask questions we've already answered on our FAQ and policy page.  You may receive a re-direct back to this page and a specific FAQ.

  7. You exhibited abusive or aggressive behavior in your email.  If you write to us and "demand", threaten physical harm, or curse, your email will generally be deleted immediately.  Be polite, act like a mature adult, and you'll receive an intelligent, considerate response.

  8. You emailed too many times in a short period and are abusing our mail system.

  9. Your email was too vague.  Sometimes we receive nondescript comments like "I didn't like what you sent."  If you disagree with our methods or content, you will at some point be asked to submit a complete, detailed summary of exactly what questions or answers are incorrect and why you believe these questions will not help you pass an exam.

3.

I ordered products from a page that said they would be sent via e-mail.  Why haven't I received my files?

  There are usually two reasons for this:
  1. Our product delivery emails are being marked as "spam" or file attachments have been blocked by your mail server.  You will have to add a filter to you mail account to allow our emails [(at)contractorexam.com].

  2. Very few of our e-mailed products are "off-the-shelf" items.  We custom design files for your particular trade based on current exam requirements.  These requirements constantly change which causes the content of the study material to change.  Many competitors offer "generic" study material that they can make immediately available.  In our case, some time must be allowed to actually research which reference books are used by the exam administrator and write questions based on the actual content of the books.  In some cases, your practice test and tutorial files are emailed on the same day you order.

4.

Are e-mailed orders sent on the same day I receive my PayPal receipt?
  Generally speaking, no.  Since our study material is customized to your specific needs, we need a reasonable amount of time to prepare your package.

5.

Will I receive books or printed materials?
  No. All study materials are sent via email as PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files. If you want your study materials printed, you must do so on your own printer -or- better yet... find a printing shop like Kinko's and have them do the printing and binding. Call ahead to find out what form of media they will accept (CDROM, flash drive, etc.).

6.

I waited until the last minute to order... I demand a refund!
  We have placed several warnings on our site about allowing time to study.  Our study materials are definitely not a "quick fix."  This is why it is imperative that you order FAR IN ADVANCE of an exam date.

We recommend that you start preparing for your exam at least three (3) weeks (or more) before an exam date.  If you believe that your order is late, please allow a three (3) day window of time before you start calling or emailing about your order.

7.

If I buy your study materials, will the questions that I receive be the same questions that are on the test?
  Definitely NOT! The exact text of the exam questions are copyrighted and owned by either the state or the exam administrator.  We write our study questions to follow the state suggested reference books and statutory code.  It would be a violation of copyright law if we were to make any attempt to answer questions about specific questions that would appear on an exam.

8.

Who or What is Exam Xpress?
  Exam Xpress is a company we use to process payments through PayPal.  It would be very unwise to send any emails to their site.  If you simply do a "reply" to your PayPal receipt, it will not be answered.  This company knows nothing about what you ordered or keeps any customer records on file.

9.

If I memorize your questions, will I pass my test?
  Definitely NOT!  Study our questions so that you are familiar with the material and able to access the information needed to pass your exam.  Our study system will teach you how to read a question and know where to find the information to answer it.  Remember that most exams are open book.  You are allowed to either take a state approved trade reference book into the exam or they will provided by the exam proctor.  Contracted administrators such as Prometric and PSI have strict rules about making notes in reference books.  Your personal copy may be confiscated at the door.  Make sure you read the candidate bulletin carefully BEFORE you show up for your exam so that you don't end up re-paying exam fees.

10.

What is your refund policy?
  Information about refunds are located on the "Refund Policy" page which can be accessed from the top navigation area of any web page.

11.

Does it matter what version of a code book (i.e. 2003 vs. 2006) the questions are sourced?
  Most exams are open book.  Our main goal is to teach you how to access the information in the code book.  The material usually has only minimum changes between editions.  If the material you receive is from an earlier edition, we reassure you that the information is still in there, but with a different reference (i.e., paragraph or page number).  Changes made in corresponding editions are usually minimal but contain the relevant portions.  Our instructors are constantly reviewing our materials to change any and all flaws in the references or changes in the code.

Regarding DVD editions; you may receive a video version that was produced for an earlier version of a code book.  Even though page numbers may not match, paragraph numbers generally will match (i.e., the published text is the same, just page shifted or renumbered).  We do not redesign videos every time a code book version changes in an effort to keep your cost to a minimum.  As a result, we have been able to offer at the same price for the last five years.

12.

I know that a question in one of the items you sent is wrong.  What do I do?
  If you have found a mistake that you would like us to look into, please fill out our online form for each incorrect question.   You will find the form on the "Contact Us" page.

13.

I received a file with a ".dat" file extension instead of ".pdf"
  This is a symptom of a poorly designed technology like a blueberry, blackberry, or some other kind of fruit.  We designed or files to be received on a Windows based DESKTOP or LAPTOP computer.  Try consulting your technical manual on how to change the file extension back to ".pdf", then you MIGHT be able to view on your fruit.

14.

What are the qualifications of your instructors?
  We have more than thirty (30) years experience in the construction industry.  Our instructors have been on staff at a local Vocational Institute working hand-in-hand in their apprentice training programs for more than eight (8) years.  Our technical and communication skills are the highest.  ContractorExam.com and Greenview Enterprises have been presenting lectured seminars since the year 2000.  We have a proven track record.  Please see previous versions of our site from this link.

15.

Why is PayPal telling me to use another credit card?
  Unfortunately, PayPal has decided that they don't want customers to use their site for a payment more than two times with the same credit card before they have you create an account.  They say this reduces fraudulent use of card numbers.  You may have to wait three days while PayPal is verifying your bank account information to attempt another order.

There ARE advantages to having a PayPal account.  You can send anyone an invoice via email and they can make a payment to you even though you don't have a merchant credit card processing account.  There are many sites now accepting PayPal for payment.  Also, you can create throw away credit card numbers for one time use on web sites if you feel uneasy about giving a number that someone could steal.

The biggest advantage to using PayPal is that the sites you buy from never see your bank or credit card information (even us!).  All they know is that they have been given a credit in their account, your shipping information and the name(s) of the items you bought.

16.

Why can't I see my shopping cart when I click the PayPal button labeled "View Cart"?

  When you use an "Add to Cart" button provided by PayPal, this will cause your browser (program used to view web pages) to open a separate window (or tab) but not necessarily switch your view to this new window (or tab).  Look for another open window (or tab) labeled "Your Shopping Cart - PayPal."

This is especially true if you switch back to the page where you just clicked an "Add to Cart" button and added another item or jumped to another area of our site like the individual video purchase page and added an item.  You would then have to find the window (or tab) where your cart was displayed.

Follow links to state trade pages

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West Virginia • Wisconsin •  Wyoming

Link to Copyright Law

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