Seven questions settle almost everything: the RBQ licence number and whether it’s currently valid, what the product warranty covers, what the separate labour warranty covers, where the wire runs, proof of liability insurance, who answers the phone four years from now, and whether they show you a rendering of your house before you sign. A quote that answers all seven is comparable. A quote that dodges two of them isn’t.
Quick reference
- RBQ licence: ask for the number, then validate it yourself in the public registry.
- Warranty: two distinct warranties, not one. Product and labour.
- Wire: ask for a close-up daylight photo of a finished corner.
- Insurance: ask for a current liability insurance certificate.
- Service: ask who takes the call in year four, and what it costs then.
- Rendering: ask to see your house before you pay, not after.
1. Is the RBQ licence number valid today?
In Québec most construction and renovation work requires a licence from the Régie du bâtiment. A number printed on a truck proves nothing — a suspended licence looks identical on a decal.
The RBQ keeps a free public registry: you enter the licence number in the Registre des détenteurs de licence and see its real status. The Régie also notes that hiring a licensed contractor gives you access to a financial guarantee in the event of a dispute. Ours is 5864-7108-01.
2. What does the product warranty cover, and for how long?
Ask for the answer part by part, not as one number. At Vision Bleu, controllers and pixels carry 12 years; light bars and landscape lighting carry 3.
That split matters more than it looks. A facade may take light bars or an addressable pixel rail depending on the project — and those two facades don’t carry the same term. If a quote advertises “12 years” without saying on what, that’s the first question to ask again. The exterior lighting page shows both cases.
3. What about the labour warranty?
It’s a separate warranty, and plenty of quotes never mention it. Ours runs 3 years.
In practice: inside those 3 years, a service call to replace a covered part costs you nothing. After that, parts stay covered on the terms above, but the visit is billed hourly at the rate in force at the time. Nobody offers twelve years of free service calls — a company that lets you believe otherwise simply hasn’t explained it.
4. Where does the wire run?
This is the question that separates clean installs from the rest, and it’s the easiest one to verify. Ask for a close-up photo of a finished soffit corner shot in daylight, not at night.
At night everything looks tidy. It’s at noon that you can see a wire tracking down a downspout. Our standard is an aluminum rail with zero exposed wire, available in more than 120 finishes to match the existing soffit.
5. Are you covered by liability insurance?
Ask for a current certificate of liability insurance, not a verbal yes. There will be ladders, drills and people on your roof — the question is normal, and a serious contractor takes it without flinching.
Vision Bleu carries commercial liability insurance that covers all of its installation work, in force for the full duration of a job. The clause is written into the service agreement you sign, and you can ask to see the certificate.
6. Who answers the phone in year four?
A 12-year warranty is worth exactly what the company behind it is worth. Ask how long they’ve been installing, how many residential projects they’ve delivered, and who picks up a service call.
We’re past 500 residential installs, at 4.9 stars across 97 Google reviews. That doesn’t prove what happens in 2038, but it’s checkable today — which a promise isn’t.
7. Do they show you your own house first?
A 3D rendering of your building, produced before anything is ordered, is the best seriousness test a quote can pass. It forces the contractor to decide where every line of light actually goes, and it shows immediately whether the plan was thought through or improvised.
Our process does this at the design step, after the free on-site visit described on the services page and before any payment.
The reverse trap: the cheapest quote isn’t automatically wrong
A light-bar facade genuinely costs less than a pixel rail, and it genuinely carries 3 years instead of 12. A price gap that comes with an explanation is useful information.
What should worry you isn’t a low price — it’s a low price nobody can break down. If the contractor can’t tell you which part carries which term, the gap didn’t come from a technical choice.
Common questions
Can a contractor refuse to give their RBQ licence number? They can, and that’s an answer in itself. The number is public information and the RBQ registry is free to search.
Can I ask to see a finished install near me? Yes. It’s a common and reasonable request. Our project gallery gives an idea already, and the service area page lists the municipalities we work in.
What’s the difference between a product warranty and a labour warranty? The first covers the part that fails. The second covers the visit to replace it. The two terms are different lengths and have to be asked about separately.
Can a service hourly rate be quoted to me in advance? No, and be wary of anyone who promises one for a decade out. The rate that applies is the rate in force when you call.
How many quotes should I get? Enough to compare the same seven answers. Three quotes you can’t line up are worth less than two detailed ones. Product definitions are in the FAQ.
If you want a quote that answers all seven in writing, start with a free on-site estimate and compare it against what you already have.