HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - During the past month, the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama has been issuing statements concerning calls to their office regarding American Shingle, a company that was headquartered in Atlanta, GA with a local office in Huntsville (American Shingle & Siding of Alabama) and more than 20 other cities.
The company's employees had been going door-to-door in several parts of North Alabama, offering to provide free roof inspections and working with the resident's insurance company to approve roofing jobs. In each call to the BBB, the homeowners who had roof damage reported that they had been asked to provide part or all of their insurance money to the company before the roof replacement job would be placed on the company's schedule.
After payment was made and the consumer waited 4-6 weeks for their new roof, as indicated by salespeople, they would receive a notice stating that the company needed to delay the roofing job by an additional 4-6 weeks, pushing some jobs into late August or even late September. Consumers began to question if the company intended to repair/replace their roof, or just keep the insurance money that had been provided.
More recently, there are signs that the company has closed all of its doors. The location in Huntsville has been closed and a voice recording on the company's Corporate Office phone reports that the business is currently closed while they relocate to a new office. The recording indicates the office will reopen on August 16, 2010, but as of August 18, 2010 the recording had not changed.
Nationwide, more than 300 complaints have been received by BBBs concerning American Shingle. While the company had responded and resolved some of the matters, some were closed as either unresolved or not responded to and many of those complaints were pending at the time the company appeared to vacate their Atlanta offices and offices in other cities. The BBB of Atlanta is trying to determine the current situation and is continuing to process complaints on behalf of consumers. The BBB hopes the situation will become clearer soon.
In the meantime, North Alabama residents who entered into an agreement with American Shingle and provided insurance money but have not had their roof repaired or replaced are encouraged to file a complaint with the BBB at www.bbb.org or by sending a complaint to the Better Business Bureau of Atlanta to 503 Oak Place #590, Atlanta, GA 30349. In addition a complaint should be filed with the Alabama Attorney General's office. Consumers can do so by calling 800-392-5658 or by filing an online complaint at www.ago.state.al.us.
The BBB offers the following tips when considering hiring a company to provide roof repairs or replacement:
- Don't make advance payments: While it is common practice for insurance companies to endorse home repair checks to the homeowner, repair company, and the consumer's mortgagor, BBB strongly advises against providing payment in full prior to work beginning, and especially at the point a contract is signed. Consumers should not pay more than one third of the contract in advance, which should be within 7 days of the beginning of contracted installation date. If pre-payment is required the consumer should consider making the check to the supplier toward materials for their job. Subsequent payments should be made during the project contingent upon completion of a defined amount of work. Do not make the final payment or sign an affidavit of final release until you are satisfied with the work, the work has been inspected, and you have proof that any subcontractors and suppliers have received payment for their work. Failure to do so could result in a lien against your home. Payments should be by credit card or check so that your credit card statement or canceled check can provide proof of payment, if needed.
- Know what you are signing: A signature or initials on an "estimate" or "proposal" could mean you are contracting the company to negotiate for you and install your new roof. Don't sign anything until you know you want to do business with that company. All contracts should have a start date and completion date. Do not depend on someone else to call you with these dates.
- Door-to- door Solicitations: Be suspicious of contractors who attempt to gain business by visiting door-to-door. "Cold calls" can sometimes mean that the contractor is not from a local, established business but is instead just passing through.
- Pressures you for an immediate decision: A reputable professional will recognize that you need time to consider many factors when deciding which contractor to hire. You will want to check references; look into the contractor's standard of work and his professional designations and affiliations; verify his insurance; check to see if he needs a license (and if so, that it is valid); get written estimates from several firms based on identical project specifications; request customer references and inspect completed jobs.
- Asks you to get the required building permits: This could be a sign that the contractor is hoping to avoid contact with the local agency that issues such permits. Perhaps he is not licensed or registered, as required by your state or locality. A competent contractor will get all the necessary permits before starting work on your project.
- Always ask for identification such as drivers license / do not accept business cards or name badges as identification
- Always ask for proof of contractors license and insurance coverage
Check with your Better Business Bureau for a reliability report before doing business with any company by calling (256) 533-1640 or 800-239-1642 or go online to www.bbb.org. The BBB can also provide a list of BBB Accredited Businesses in each industry.
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