Roofing Company Referral Services: Should You Always Believe Them?

Roofing company referral resources like Angie’s List, Yelp and The Good Contractor’s List, etc., are good resources; but they should not be used as the only resource in deciding on your roofing contractor.  No referral programs can take the place of years of experience and stellar customer service.

With each major storm that drives through Texas, new roofing companies are popping up.  While storms create new opportunities for contractors to start a roofing company in order to make a few quick bucks, consumers should be very careful.  Here are a few misapprehensions and incorrect thinking about roofing and the roofing industry.

1. Anyone can put on a roof.  Your roof is the primary protection from the elements for your family and for all of your belongings.  If the roof is not installed properly the least that could happen is that you have a sub-par product installed improperly and energy inefficient.  The worst situation is:  A) Felt paper not replaced, leaving voids, allowing leaks which can cause major damage. B) Contractor leaves old metal and turbines.  You get what you pay for.
2.  Waiving Deductibles.   It is fraudulent to “absorb” your deductible/not having you pay your deductible for insurance related damage.  The insurance policy you sign advises you that you are responsible for paying your deductible.  When a claim is approved and payment is issued, money is “held back” by the carrier until the work is complete.  If a roofing company tells you that you don’t have to pay your deductible, they will have to falsify an invoice to the insurance carrier saying the completed work cost more (the deductible amount) than it actually cost.  Thus, when the carrier issues final payment, your deductible will have been accounted for.  So I ask you, if a roofing contractor will lie, cheat and steal from the insurance company to get paid, why wouldn’t they lie, cheat and steal from you?
3. When you hire a roofing company that waives/absorbs your deductible their profit margins are just lower, but they do the same quality of install as a contractor I am paying my deductible to.  Material and labor costs the same no matter who is paying for it.  If they are taking less than the average cost to do the work either workmanship or materials will be of a lower standard.  The cost of the deductible has to come from somewhere and if he/she does this, how are they going to build a profitable and successful roofing business?  If they are not successful and they are forced to close their doors, who will fix the leaks that show up six months after the work is completed?  They will be closed for business, in another line of work or operating under another name.