There has just been a huge hail storm, your thankful that the bad weather is over but now your home is damaged and you need to act accordingly so that you can prevent further damage to personal belongings from rain. At this moment the shady shingler has it’s greatest opportunity to take advantage of your eagerness to minimize the damage. It is the unfortunate circumstance of the roofing industry, fly-by-night roofing businesses are here for one storm then gone the next and prey upon residents with Dallas homes. These are also know as “storm chasers,” these scammers will often point out damage that isn’t there and use high pressure sales tactics to take advantage of your anxiety after a hail storm.
Roofing Scam #1-Hammer Hail
Its hard to believe that anyone would risk going to jail just to increase the size of a claim or even to get the claim approved by doing damage to a homeowner’s roof but it does happen. In 2017 several storm chasing “roofers” were caught on home surveillance in the DFW area ripping up shingles and using ball peen hammers during inspections just to get the insurance adjusters to approve the replacement of the roof. This is insurance fraud and no reputable roofing contractor will ever consider inflicting damage to your Dallas home.
Roofing Scam #2- 100% Payment Upfront
This is the easiest way scammers get your money and skip town. The Shady Shingler will often say that he needs all the money for material and labor costs before starting any of the work, this is a huge red flag. There is far less risk if a homeowner makes incremental payments to the roofing contractor; industry standard is that a homeowner will pay 40%-60% of the cost to replace the roof but never 100%. Along with not giving all of the money to replace the roof, Dallas homeowners should research, research, research! Google the roofing contractor‘s Better Business Bureau, reviews, references, phone number, and address and make sure they are all in good standing.
Roofing Scam #3- Aggressive, High Pressure Sales Tactics
You shouldn’t rush a few things in life: getting married, eating a fine meal, and signing a roofing contract. If someone pressures you anytime during a roofing consultation to sign a contract or agree to any kind of roofing work, just say no. Being pressured is never a good sign.
If the salesperson says the deal or discount is ending soon, ask them to extend the offer or simply say no thanks. Legitimate roofing companies will not insist on making a sale unless it’s what you want and your roof needs it. Be wary of salespeople who want to close a sale without letting you talk to friends, family, or another roofing company. A legitimate roofing company will give you time and contact information to reach out to them after you have time to make a well-informed decision.
Roofing Scam #4- Using Cheap Materials during Construction and Cutting Corners
It is a common occurrence that we at West Construction Group go to reroof a house and find that the previous roofer didn’t remove old felt or even skipped out on using ice and water shield. Scamming contractors will skip necessary steps in order to pay less in labor on your Dallas Home. Sometimes a scammer will promise a good quality material but then when it comes time to reroof the promised material is out of stock and something else must be used. This is a quick way a shady shingler will pull a bait and switch on a unsuspecting homeowner and put cheap shingle on a roof that doesn’t carry a warranty. You should always receive the material that is decided upon, if the material is in short supply a legitimate roofer will check with other suppliers or even wait until the material order can be fulfilled.
Problems with roofers plague Dallas home residents but educating yourself will reduce your chances drastically from becoming a victim. To receive a inspection free of scams from a legitimate, highly reviewed company call us at 972-730-2594
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