The guys who give us honest roofers a bad name.

Often you hear of people being scammed by their contractors.  Roofing is a service where these scam artists take advantage of homeowners. Most homeowners are not experienced when it comes to their roof.  They only replace a roof once or twice in their lifetime. Just as not all scam artists claim to be roofers, not all roofers are scam artists.  Know the signs and do the research to be sure you get the quality work you are paying for.

One of the most common scams are the roving roofers or "Storm Chasers".  These companies will come to town where storms have hit.  They will tell homeowners that they have storm damage and will help them get a new roof paid for by the insurance company.  Once an agreement is made, the roof work is either never completed or done poorly.  Often a roof installed by a storm chaser will need to be replaced in the next 5-7 years. Before any claims or refunds can be made, the scam artists have moved on to a different town and can't be reached.

Protect your investment and watch out for the signs that indicate a possible scam:

• Door to door salesman.  Storm Chasers often go door to door, offering a free inspection on the spot and telling the homeowner they have damage and they can help them, but they need to act fast.  Not all door to door roofing salesman are scam artists.  Sometimes they are honest roofing contractors working on other homes in your neighborhood and want you to notice the quality of work they do and talk with the neighbor about them and then call them for an estimate.  Be wary of those that pressure a fast decision.
• High pressure sales.  A scammer has a limited time to get the homeowners commitment.  Often they will make great offers and claims but the offer is good today only.  They may be offering high prices and don't want to allow the opportunity to be under bid.  It could also be that they know if the homeowner does some research, they will find negative reviews and ratings for their roofing company.  Scammers may also require a down-payment to get a special price.  This is another red flag because they may take the money and run.  Scammers also know that there may not be significant enough damage to the home for homeowner's insurance policy to pay to replace it and they want a commitment to the work regardless.