There are people out there pulling off roofing scams every day. To keep yourself safe from con-jobs know what to look for in a legitimate roofing contractor. Be able to tell the difference between one people that are simply looking for money and the people that genuinely want to help you with the problem you’re having with your roof.
A common roofing scam that occurs quite often actually is when a person contacts a company about the problem they’re having with their roof. They give them the low-down about whats going and the company says that they can help. There is just one problem. The company in question requires a deposit before they will do begin doing any work for you. That doesn’t sound like anything that is uncommon. A lot of companies require a down payment of some sort before performing any amount of work. You give them the deposit that they ask for not thinking anything about it except being ecstatic your roof is finally going to be fixed. However, the person you just handed that so called “down payment” to is now long gone without a trace. They took your money and ran. The roofing company never ever heard of their name before. This is a scam that has been happening to people for years now and each time it happens, it is just a little worse than the time before. It is wise to cross-check the name of the person asking for the payment with the name of the company they say they’re employed with.
The next roofing scam that is easy to get away with the infamous storm scam. The news will begin publicizing when there has been a large storm in a certain area. Whether it was a hurricane or a tornado or just a freak windstorm, there was likely damage done to roofs nearby on people’s houses. The scammers watch this news closely. They know that this is the prime time to swoop in and make their appearance. They’ll know on the door of an unsuspecting customer and present themselves as an experienced roofing contractor. They have the knowledge and they play the part well. They may even present the customer with business cards and a list of names of fake references with fake phone numbers. The person may even go as far as completing the job on the house! As you can imagine, the job that is done is completely lacking substance and within a short amount of time, the problem with the roof returns, possibly worse than it was the last time. It is hard to trust people sometimes and you can’t always be sure that the words they speak are truthful. It is important to do your own research on a person, especially if they show up at your door out of the blue claiming they can fix something on your house. Make sure the references they give to you are actually real and that they are licensed within the area with a solid roofing company.
The last scam we will talk about is known as “The Fluctuating Bid”. It is fairly straightforward as far as roofing scams go. It simply involves a contractor beginning work on a job for you at the promise of a certain low low price. However, as the days go by, the contractor starts finding another problem here and another problem there. His labor costs begin adding up as well as the cost for materials and the cost for the different problems with your roof he is claiming to be fixing. Soon, you owe him a price that is double or even triple what he promised you the job would cost in the first place. At this point, there is little you can do about it except pay the price and he knows that. You’ve officially been scammed.
Scams like these happen particularly to the elderly as scammers are known to prey on them thinking they don’t know anything. Females in general are also a large target because of the simple fact scammers think that they will be less experienced than men in the world of roofing. They essentially think that they are easy targets. This is not to say men aren’t scammed too because it happens to them too every day. The best way to arm yourselves against scammers in roofing and in any situation is to stay knowledgeable about the dangers that lurk around you and just use common sense. If something doesn’t feel right, nine times out of ten it isn’t right. Remember, if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.