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When it’s time for a new roof, the process of tendering bids for your project can seem daunting. The average homeowner only has to replace a roof once every 10-20 years depending on how often hail storms hit your area, so it’s natural that most people aren’t in the practice of sifting through roof bids to select a contractor who can do a good job while simultaneously not ripping them off. Luckily there are a few key red flags you can look for that will keep you away from contractors that will create headaches for you.
Unprofessional Sales Representative
Your first and primary point of contact throughout the roof project is going to be the sales representative from the roofing company. This person is going to be central to the project providing you with information, updates and advice as you move through the process. Because of this, it is imperative that you select a person who is professional, knowledgeable, quick to communicate and better yet it’s ideal if you genuinely like them as a person.
If they take a long time to respond to your communications upfront it will be much worse when the job is done and the checks have been collected. If they don’t have the answers to essential questions right off the bat, there’s a good chance that they are learning on the job and won’t be proactive in setting up the roof project to avoid issues before they come up. If you get any bad vibes from the point of contact you are working with at the company, run for the hills!
The Roofing Company’s Online Reputation
Do some digging on the roofing company overall. Check out their online presence and read plenty of reviews from past customers and see what their experiences were. One bad review can just be someone having a bad day, but if you start to sense a pattern or a large volume of people online complaining about the service they received, there’s a good chance you’ll fall into a situation like that as well.
Also check that they have a local office as company’s from out of town might be working a storm and running tail in a couple of weeks once work dries up. Make sure that they have a professional looking website that is informative and specifically offers the service you’re looking for. These days the digital world is the new “word of mouth” mechanism in many ways, so make sure you vet the company properly online!
Can’t Provide References Quickly
When deciding which company to hire for a project as large as a roof, it’s a good idea to always ask for at least 3 references from past customers of theirs so that you can give them a call and hear from the horses mouth what their experience was with the company. Granted, most of the customers that you’re given will be hand selected and therefore likely to be satisfied, but the quickness and ease of the representative to get you those references will tell you a lot.
If they hum and haw and take a week to pull a few references together for you, this likely means that they either haven’t done a lot of jobs, don’t have a lot of satisfied customers, or the representative is just not proactive and willing to get things done. In any case, all those scenarios are a good signal to you to stay far away.
Use Bargain Shingles Like IKO or Tamko
Another thing to watch out for is a contractor that proposes poor materials in their initial proposal. Of course, if called out any rep will be quick to let you know that they’re happy to use better materials, but the fact that they were proposing something subpar to you in the first place shows that they are looking to cut corners any place they can and will do so in more subtle ways throughout the job.
Any contractor offering a shingle like IKO or TAMKO, not including drip edge replacement in the bid or using a cut up 3 tab shingle as capping as opposed to real hip and ridge capping is a clear indicator that you should steer clear of that company.
Conclusion
Hiring a good roofing contractor is a big responsibility and you owe it to yourself to weed out the companies that will create headaches and lack follow through. Your investment in your home and your pocketbook will thank you for the time you took to properly vet a good company to do a proper job. If you need any help with your roofing project or just some advice on your best next steps give us a call at 210-417-7728 or e-mail us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help!
