Nobody likes being ripped off. Unfortunately, when it comes to contractors, this happens all the time. You can take some steps to prevent getting ripped off but it really comes down to commonsense and trusting your gut. Let’s look at four ways roofers rip you off and how to prevent each one.
4 Ways a Roofer Will Rip You Off
Material Overcharge
Material overcharge is a common practice when roofing. Since you’re not an expert, they’re counting on you not to notice they’re billing you for extra materials that aren’t needed but aren’t actually delivered.
How to Prevent: Ask your roofer to go over each and every charge, look up pricing yourself, and consult with another roofer to find out if things are priced right. Every roofer should be able to provide proof of each purchase, too, if you’re still in doubt.
Faulty Prep Work
Faulty prep work comes from reducing labor time, which increases the overall profit on a job. This means failing to reinstall gutters, skylights and flashing properly. It can involve painting, too, to fix issues that occur during roofing. They may just use one coat of paint and hope you don’t notice.
How to Prevent: Ask your roofer to go over all the work they did on your roof before they leave for the day, including showing you where and what they worked on. This allows you to see what they’ve done and whether it looks right.
Cutting Corners
Many roofers will do whatever they can to do multiple jobs in a day. This means rushing through a job because that means they can move on to the next one. This can lead to omitting prep work, issues that you may not notice for months, and leaks.
How to Prevent: If it seems your roofers are done before you expected, ask them what they worked on and have them show you. Check the work and make sure it looks right. If it doesn’t, ask for a second opinion.
Bait and Switch
Bait and switch is the primary way contractors, not just roofers, rip off consumers. You’re given one price, then it changes before you sign on the dotted line. Upgrades, additional costs, whatever the roofer wants to call are added on that quickly raises the overall price.
How to Prevent: Make sure all prices are in the contract before materials are delivered and work is started. Make sure changes are addressed in the contract and that you must improve all changes before a roofer performs them.
With the above tips, you can avoid the four most common ways roofers, and contractors, rip you off.
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