Getting a roof renovation is an important part of guaranteeing a safe, attractive, and energy efficient home. However, you may have noticed that you are more excited about your roofing project than your roofer.
Unfortunately, the roofing industry is notorious for being littered with unreliable and dodgy contractors. Keep reading to discover 7 reasons why this is the case!
Why Are Roofers So Unreliable & Dodgy?
1. High Quality Roofers Are Already Booked
With the country in the midst of a construction and renovation boom over the past couple of years, roofers have been in extremely high demand.
As a result, those roofers with the highest quality skills and customer service are likely booked up months in advance.
This can leave you with the best of the rest, which may result in you working with a fly-by-night roofing company or contractor.
This is a problem that is being further exacerbated by the shortage of workers and supply chain challenges in the construction industry.
There simply aren’t enough quality roofers with access to materials to meet current demand.
2. Insurance Can Slow Down The Process
In many cases of roofs being destroyed by hail, strong winds, or any other severe weather event, an insurance claim is likely involved.
While you may be desirous of getting your roof repaired ASAP, the insurance company will want to send their own adjusters and assessors to make sure the claim is covered.
In these cases, the roofer is likely waiting on the go-ahead from the insurance company to begin work.
So if you keep reaching out to your roofer and feel like they are being evasive, it could be that they don’t want to make promises or perform any services only to find out the claim is denied.
3. Roofers Can Be Exceptionally Busy
As mentioned, there has been a home construction and renovation boom in recent years. There has also been an uptick of severe weather events that have caused roof damage.
Therefore, even if you do get a reputable roofer, there is a strong possibility that they are completely swamped.
They may have every intention of doing the best they can and will get back to you ASAP, but it can be hard to return every client’s calls when you are laying roofing shingles all day and night.
4. Roofers May Not Be Educated In Customer Service
Large roofing companies should have a head office or customer service department to handle client questions and concerns.
However, if you are dealing with a small contractor, it is possible that they are a sole proprietor who is not well-trained in the total spectrum of owning and operating a roofing business.
They may be an ace at replacing damaged girts, laying coverboard, and fastening shingles but lack the softer skills of running a business, such as communication and customer service.
5. You Could Be Dealing With A Subcontractor
Due to the huge demand for roofing projects, many roofing companies have had to employ the help of subcontractors to keep from falling behind schedule.
While the work of the subcontractor is guaranteed by the company who deploys them, it can present challenges in terms of communication.
In many cases, the subcontractor has to report back to the primary contractor for approvals and verifications, causing lines of communication to become bogged down and muddled.
6. They View Your Project As Not Worthwhile
Like many other types of professionals, roofers will perform a sort of triage to determine which projects to give priority to.
Unfortunately, this could mean that they prioritize the project that has the potential to net them the most money.
If you have a small roofing project they bid for a few thousands dollars, you could immediately take a back seat if an entire subdivision ravished by hail needs a roofer ASAP.
Roofers want to work to ensure the satisfaction of their most lucrative clients who offer the potential for ongoing work, so they might not care if they lose you as a client.
7. You Are Part Of A Roofing Scam
In a worst case scenario, your roofer is acting shady because, well, they are.
Unfortunately, there are a number of roofing scams out there targeted directly at honest, unsuspecting customers.
Of the most basic of these would be a roofer who does not want to stand by their work.
They know that their efforts were substandard and don’t want to hear from you again once the “work is done.”
Another sign of a scam would be a roofer providing a very low quote but requiring complete upfront payment. This could be an indication that they intend to take the money and run.
Also be sure to check your local area for necessary bonding and licenses. If the roofer requires you to provide all the bonds and licensing yourself, it could be a sign that they are not qualified.
Finally, watch out for storm chasers.
If a roofer shows up on your doorstep following a severe storm citing building codes and imploring you to partner with them on a new roof, be sure to perform your due diligence.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why mechanics are so shady, why mail carriers make so much, and why TSA agents are so rude.
Conclusion
If you have noticed that getting your roof replaced is far from a seamless customer experience, you are not alone. Roofers have a reputation for being dodgy and unreliable.
From the simple fact that there are not enough reputable roofers to keep up with demand to more nefarious roofing scams, read through the 7 reasons behind roofers’ unreliability above.
