Bay Area Roofing Company

Six Sure-Fire Ways to Tell if the Bay Area Roofing Company you Want to Hire is Legit or a Storm Chaser

bay area roofing companyStorm chasers are roofing companies that follow weather, installing new roofs or repairing roof damage caused by hail, wind, tornadoes, etc. These non-local roofers take insurance claim checks as payment for roofing services and finish as many roofing jobs as they can (carelessly and cheaply as possible) before moving on to the next neighborhood or state. Beware if you are in the market to hire a bay area roofing company.

While those of us living in the Bay Area don’t experience severe weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes as those who live in other areas do, we do have the occasional, roof-damaging heavy wind, rain or both. But a lot of homeowners aren’t prepared to deal with the onslaught of storm chasers that arrive afterward. These companies send sales people door to door, blanket the area with signs, and sometimes label themselves insurance recovery experts or restoration specialists.

Storm chasers will insist that you sign a contract allowing them to negotiate with your insurance company. Beware. Signing these documents puts you at risk of waiving any rights to make decisions regarding repairs or replacement. It also means you lose power over your settlement if the contract legally binds you to turning over payment to the roofer, even if you’re not satisfied with the work. Loss of control applies to roofing shingles too, allowing the company to cut corners and quality to increase their profit.

Once the area’s roofing work is gone, so are the storm chasers. Sure, they’ll offer a warranty, but they’re long gone before you notice any problems like leakage. Even if the roofer is a reputable company in his home state, you’re going to have a hard time getting the roofing company to return thousands of miles to fix mistakes.

How can you tell if your roofer is local or not? Here are six sure-fire signs of storm chasers:

  1. They come to your door, using high pressure sales tactics or fear to convince you to sign something right away
  2. They offer to show how not to pay your deductible (constituting fraud) or offer you a “free roof”
  3. They drive trucks with out-of-state plates and driver’s licenses (ask to see identity
  4. They can’t give you local references
  5. They have no proof of manufacturer certifications or references
  6. They do not carry liability and worker’s comp insurance or if they do, the names don’t match

Just because the company is local and you recognize the name doesn’t mean you’re dealing with that company. Storm chasers are known to establish local phone numbers and office addresses to use in their signs and marketing. If the area code is local, it’s a local company, right? Wrong. Ask if they do business in different states and to see a driver’s license. Also check with the local BBB.

If you are looking for an experienced and licensed bay area roofing company, look no further than Signature Roofing, Inc..

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