What Is a Fly-by-Night Roofer?
This is a designation for a bad group of people. There are roofers — or so-called roofers — who tend to go door to door after a major storm trying to sell roofing services. They will usually promise a great price, but there’s a catch. They are often uninsured, out of state, and are likely to do work of such poor quality that it can be dangerous.
Fly-by-night roofers are opportunists looking to exploit a bad situation to make money. In some cases, they are outright scammers. Any roofer you would classify as fly-by-night is a roofer to avoid. At best, they are untrustworthy. At worst, they will cause harm.
How to Spot Fly-by-Night Scams
Knowing that scams are out there is only the first step in defending yourself. You need to be able to distinguish actual local roofers from scammers. The good news is that it isn’t that hard to do. Real roofers have ways for you to seek them out when you need help. They compete for visibility and don’t have to go door to door. In addition to that, four red flags can help you spot the fly-by-night scam before it costs you.
The Large Down Payment
One of the scariest signs that you’re dealing with a scammer is the requirement for a large down payment. The total cost of service might be low, but you have to pay a huge chunk of it upfront. The roofer that needs an abnormally large down payment is more likely to take the money and run without doing anything. They also might be so bad at their own business that they can’t afford to get started on your roof without that down payment. Both are huge red flags.
Conversely, you have some scammers who offer to pay your insurance deductible for you. This is not a legitimate business practice and is illegal in Texas.
No Insurance
This sign applies to scammers, fly-by-night roofers, and bad roofers. If their business is not insured, they can’t pull a permit or safely work on your roof. If that happens when an uninsured roofer is working on your house, then you have to pay for everything — including personal injury.
Any time you doubt a business, inspect its insurance credentials. Having insurance is a bare-minimum requirement for legally conducting business.
Low Prices
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. This is as true for roofing as anything else in this world. When someone comes to your door after a storm and offers you a basement price for repair, you should ask why. Usually, fly-by-night roofers offer such low prices because they are severely cutting corners. Your wallet will pay the price for that in the end.
Lack of Knowledge
You don’t have to be a roofing expert to spot a fake. If they’re real contractors who know their trade, they should be able to explain things in clear terms. They don’t have to direct you away from warranty information or payment packages. A real contractor can lay it all out in overt language that you can fully understand. Honest contractors want you to understand what is happening. They want you to have a clear idea of why they are making recommendations and what your choices mean to you. It’s an important part of customer satisfaction and avoiding complaints. If your roofer is unable to make things clear to you, they shouldn’t be your roofer. That’s true even if they are a legitimate business.
No matter the situation, when your roof needs expert attention, you can call Texas Pride Construction at (469) 288-4488 or contact us online. We’re born and raised Texans and we’ll make sure you fully understand all of your options.