Door to Door Scams

Please read this information and conduct your own due diligence online. This is a very serious SCAM sweeping Raleigh and The Triangle. We are very passionate about our local Raleigh Roofing Industry and we are trying our best to make awareness to the communities of Raleigh, NC. Do Not fall victim to a fast talking well dressed individual knocking on your door trying to make an insurance claim for a new roof. -The Scro’s Roofing Team

WHAT IS A STORM CHASER ROOFING SCAM?

Storm chasers are companies that follow severe weather from area to area, completing home repairs (generally roofs and siding) that are damaged by hail and wind. They collect homeowners’ insurance claim checks in payment for their services, complete the work (often shoddily) before moving on to the next storm ravaged area. Here in Raleigh, we are prone to a few hailstorms, and storm chasers generally quickly follow any such event. They generally go door-to-door in storm damaged areas, and may advertise themselves as insurance recovery experts or specialists in insurance restoration. (The term “Storm Chaser” can also be used to describe a person who follows storms in order to research, photograph, or simply experience a weather phenomenon. This type of storm chaser is entirely different and is not of any concern to a homeowner!) We are talking about the “Roofing Storm Chaser” you probably have seen the signs in your neighborhood.

WHY ARE ROOFING STORM CHASERS BAD?

The first step of a storm chaser is to ask to get on your roof to conduct a free roof inspection. Definitely a huge mistake due to the fact that they have been caught damaging roofs, taking pictures and claiming it to be storm damage. The second step is to tell the homeowner to sign a contract allowing their company to negotiate with homeowner’s insurance company. By signing these documents, homeowners may be waiving their right to any decision making regarding their repairs or replacement. They also lose control over the insurance settlement, and the entire check of the payment may legally need to be signed over to the storm chaser- regardless of the quality or quantity of work completed. The homeowner may lose some control over materials used, leaving the storm chaser free to cut corners in order to increase their profit. Most importantly, warranty repairs can be very difficult to obtain as most storm chasers leave the area as soon as the storm “plays out.” These companies are generally gone long before warranty issues arise. The company is certainly not going to return from wherever they came from to repair a problem with their work. To make matters even more difficult, some storm chasers lease local company names so the appear to be local. Once they complete their work in the area, they leave. The local company is then responsible for the warranty work. Of course, the volume of warranty work is often so great the local company ends up out of business, leaving the homeowner with problems. But rest assured Scro’s Roofing Company has never and will never partner with any storm related roofing scams period!

HOW TO SPOT A ROOFING STORM CHASER?

Storm chasers usually:

• Come door to door and try to get you to sign something immediately.
• Mail you cards in the mail or tape them to your mailbox.
• Use high pressure sales tactics.
• Offer you a “Free Roof” or “Free Siding” or offer a way around paying a deductible (this is insurance fraud!)
• Have out-of-state license plates or drivers license (and YES! you can & should ask to see a drivers license to verify identity.)
• Are unable to produce recent, local references (or references from before the storm date)
• Are unable to produce local supplier references (always check references from a potential contractors suppliers. If suppliers aren’t paid in a timely fashion by a contractor, they can legally place a lien on your home)
• Have no proof of manufacturer certifications (large manufacturers offer their own certifications to established legitimate contractors. Look for GAF-Elk Master Elite Contractors, GAF-Elk Certified Contractors, CertainTeed 5-Star Contractors)
• Are unable to produce a certificate of insurance with the same identification information. A legitimate local company should show you an Certificate of Liability/Workers Compensation both issued in the same name. If the names don’t match, you may not be protected. Call to make sure it is valid.
• Are unlisted, have unsatisfactory ratings or have complaints filed against them with the Better Business Bureau.
• No local reviews on Google, Angie’s List, Facebook etc.
• Sometimes do not pay the sub-contractors the labor to install you new roof, or pay them very little.
• They bring in out of State contractors to install your roof because they have burned all the local roofing sub crews.
• Often change the companies name frequently to continue to hide from the knowing scams they are part of.
• Sometimes they bribe the insurance adjusters and give them money to submit and get the claims approved quickly.
• Target neighborhoods that have existing worn out 20 year roofs. Usually these older roofs are already showing tremendous signs of wear and it is easy to say that it is storm damage. Also these types of older roofs are going to be more prone to missing shingle tabs which they will likely call wind damage.

Here is another link to our GOOGLE+ Community Page where we try and Warn the local community: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE