V PERRY PAVING

About 7 years ago (I think the fall of 2003) I got several estimates for paving my driveway. V.Perry came in at a very good price...not the lowest...but reasonable, and he seemed personable, reliable and knowledgeable. We have a "low spot" in the driveway that tends to collect water and then ice up in the winter. I told him it needed to be built up, and maybe have gravel added for drainage. He assured me that he did highway work for many, many years, and that he knew what he was doing. (First red flag...brushing me off. No, I don't know the paving business, but I do know my driveway and what I want done, and I have some knowledge of physics.) He also told me that I would be receiving pavement of "highway quality"...very durable. As I recall, the crew came on the day and at the time promised, worked very quickly and paved where I had asked them to. After the job was completed, Mr. Perry informed me that the tar would be soft for the first two years and that I should be very careful (second red flag). Not only was it soft for the first two years, but it is still soft today, 7 years later! Bicycle kickstands and high-heeled shoes sink into the tar even on not-so-very-hot days! On the positive side, the price quoted is exactly the price I paid. The paved area seems a bit narrower than I was expecting, and that low spot still ices up every winter. I have weeds starting to pop through the tar which might be normal after this amount of time, I don't know. Possibly applying a driveway sealcoat would take care of that problem. A couple of years ago I tried to reach Mr. Perry to discuss these problems. He never returned my calls. On a scale of 1-10, I would give him a 4 or a 5.