Al MacRury | Tue Jul 24 2012
Roof repair nightmare reason to avoid big reshingle deposits
Sometimes you just can’t seem to win, no matter how hard you try.
“We read your article entitled, ‘If you’re going to hire a cheater, prepare to be cheated,’ and thought we’d share a story about what happened to us when we hired a professional roofing company that came highly recommended,” Mike and Michelle Bevilacqua wrote Action Line.
The firm they hired has been in business for quite some time.
They had a signed contract, which stated the company was supposed to strip and shingle their roof and replace two skylights.
“They arrived at our home at 6:45 a.m. and started the job. Everything was fine when I left for work, leaving my mother here in case they needed into the house to work on the skylights,” Michelle said. “At approximately 7:50 a.m., I called home and my mother said the roofer was leaving. She said the crew got into an argument with one of our neighbours and were refusing to do the job. When I arrived home, the owner of the firm was already gone, but left his crew there to clean up. I begged them not to leave because they had stripped part of our roof and the forecast was calling for rain. They covered the roof with tarps.”
When Mike came home, he talked to his neighbour.
The couple says they still don’t know what the neighbour and roofing crew were arguing about.
But that night it rained and there was extensive water damage.
“We emailed the roofer right away, telling them what happened and that they needed to return to finish the job. We got no response. My husband then called and left a message. Finally, we had no choice but to call our insurance company.”
The insurance firm sent a restoration company to cover the now torn tarps on the roof and to dry out the house. Meanwhile, a stack of shingles left sitting on the roof was causing the roof to sag and a bedroom ceiling to crack.
“The insurance company said they couldn’t do repairs until someone finished the roof, but no one wanted to finish the roof because we were under contract with the roofer we’d originally hired.”
Then the shingle supplier showed up wanting the shingles back and threatening to sue. The shingles eventually departed and still the roofer was adamant, stating they would not return and complete the job.
So the family hired another contractor.
“We contacted a lawyer who said we could sue the original roofer for any out-of- pocket expenses (for breach of contract), which total just under $2,000. We sent the roofer an email, asking them to pay this amount.”
The firm responded by demanding $1,298.37 for the work they claim to have done.
“I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Not only have they caused damage to our family home, they gave us a choice of paying them or ruining our excellent credit rating.”
Doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Well, the Bevilacquas fortunately did one very smart thing. They never paid a deposit to the original roofer.
That puts them in the driver’s seat, even if this winds up in court.
It’s impossible for a third party to determine what went awry here. Perhaps the neighbour felt the crew was intruding onto his property without permission, or the crew was careless when stripping the roof, tossing debris around.
The shingle supplier likely reclaimed his materials because he was never paid by the roofer. In such instances, a supplier could place a lien on the consumer’s home if he is unable to recover his goods or cash.
Deposits are sometimes justified. A contractor does have to purchase materials and incurs expenses before beginning any job. But this story stands as a reminder that you should exercise caution when parting with your money before any work begins.
Contact Team BlueSky for a reputable roofing contractor!
www.teambluesky.ca
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