Selecting A Contractor

Regardless of which residential roofing contracting company you choose to repair the damage to your home due to the hail storm, the following points will help you qualify and compare your options in determining which company would be best for you. These questions and suggestions deal with Quality, Credibility, Warranty, and Service. If you have a positive feeling about all of these issues, then your choice will have been a good one and your installation should be as “painless ” as possible.

Yellow Pages
Does the company have a major presence in the yellow pages? Deadlines for yellow page ads have a “long lead time” and require a commitment prior to the hail storm which damaged your home. Is the company you are considering to repair the damage to your home even in the yellow pages? If they are not, then either they are a brand new company that just started because of the recent hail storms (Once a hail storm hits, it seems that everyone with/ a pickup and a magnetic sign becomes a “contractor”} or they are storm chasers (Storm Chasers are companies that come in from other towns or states and opens up a new office to perform installation repairs due to the hail storms}? If the company is not in the yellow pages, or if they are storm chasers, will they still be there should you need assistance or warranty repair in the future?

NOTE: WARNING – Some storm chasers try to hide the fact that they are not really local by using a local companies name on all their signs and paperwork. A good way to tell if the company you are considering using may have done this is to compare the phone number that they are using to the phone number that is listed in the yellow pages for that company.If they do not match, then most likely it is a storm chaser either borrowing or paying for the use of that company’s name. Also, compare the companies addresses. If the address given to you by that company does not match the one used in the yellow pages, then the storm chaser has even set up a separate office away from the local company and is probably using out of town labor.

Local and Well-Established
Is the company local and well-established? If the company is local and not a storm chaser then how long has the company been in business? How many local installations have been performed during this period? How many satisfied customers do they have in this area? Do they have any local references? Are all the references that you are given completed before the hail storms? How do their references feel about their installations?

Better Business Bureau
Is the company a member of the Better Business Bureau? How long has the company been reporting to the Better Business Bureau (under the same name)? Does the company maintain a clear record at the Better Business Bureau? How many installations have been performed during this period? Does the company abide by the Better Business Bureau’s Problem Resolution Process? Is the company an official member of the BBB Honor Roll If they are not, then maybe you should use someone who is!

Reputation
Does the company have the infrastructure necessary to ensure a “hassle-free” project? If there is a problem during the claim process or after the installation do they have some one knowledgeable enough to handle the problem. Has a representative explained all of your options? Are they able to demonstrate the level of quality you’re looking for, related to the installation of the materials needed for your repairs? Have they explained to you what the components of their quality control program is? How are the inspections conducted? Are there inspec­tions during he job (quality control)? Is there a final inspection (quality assurance)? Who performs these inspec­tions? Are they qualified? Will the company be able to begin your job when you prefer it to be done? Do they have the size required to handle the additional work due to the hail storms? Does the company have an adequate “cash flow” to ensure availability of material and labor for your installation (as well as several others) throughout your job? Does the company have a solid relationship with the material distributors? Can your job be scheduled and completed in a timely manner? Has the company committed to “on-going” as well as ”final” clean-ups? Do you feel that they will treat your property with respect? Does the company have enough “depth” to assure your continued satisfaction?

Workmanship and Warranty

Do they have a workmanship warranty? If not, why not? If they do, how long is the workmanship warranty? What type of workmanship warranty is it? If you need service under your warranty, will they attempt to avoid their responsibility? What is their definition of “workmanship warranty”? Do they provide a 24 hour, 365 day/year response to any warranty situation? Will you be able to get in touch with them should you experience a leak? How long will it take for them to respond? Are they storm chasers or will the company be still exclusively commit­ ted to doing t is type of installations in this area in the future.

Claims Assistance
Should your situation require additional contact with the insurance company or their adjuster (re-inspections for repair upgrades. inaccuracies in your appraisal scope of damage, inaccuracies in your insurance company’s estimated cost to repair the damages, etc…) will their representative deliver effective results? Are they technically qualified. Do they work well with adjusters? Are they licensed (see note below)? Has their representative been able to explain the whole process? Have they reviewed your insurance appraisal with you for accuracy and completeness? Have they ensured that your best interest is secured? Have they offered to explain to you the insurance company’s paperwork and the insurance company’s payment process? Does the company provide any help with invoicing the insurance company for you? Does the company provide any help with getting any insurance checks endorsed by your mortgage company? Does the company wait for final payment until after your mortgage company endorses the “second check”? Does the company provide all levels of claim assistance so that you don’t have to “deal with it”? Can you be assured that once they are selected, should there be a problem, will they be there for you?

NOTE: BEWARE – In this state, (NE) if an individual or a company is going to represent you to settle any insurance claim with your insurance company’s adjuster, then this state requires that they be licensed by the state. If they cannot show you a license issued by the state, then maybe you should consider using someone who can!