As our collective attention follows Hurricane Ian’s move inward, roofing “storm chasers” prepare to follow its trail, luring concerned homeowners into their illusive business. These types of companies may particularly target north metro Atlanta residents with these efforts. Why? Homes in this area fall not only within the regional tornado alley known as “Dixie Alley,” but they are also encompassed by a more concentrated tornado alley that extends from Rome to Gainesville to Newnan and back to Rome. More broadly, roofing scams are so common in the state that a section of Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act addresses them specifically. As a responsible homeowner, being privy to these solicitors, their techniques, and how to handle them will help you ensure you purchase only quality, necessary, legitimate roofing services for your home.
Storm Chasers often descend in the wake of a storm in the hopes of making easy money. They particularly tend to target the elderly and new homeowners, though not exclusively. Further, such solicitors are known to deploy several common methods of contact. Although these forms of solicitation are not illegal in Georgia, they are suspect enough that Florida recently outlawed them. Be wary of the following approaches:
- “Door knocking” – This is when they approach your home unsolicited to make an in-person sales pitch.
- Door hangers – These are the “do not disturb”-style signs left on your door.
- Promotional materials attached to mailboxes – Rather than mailing materials to your home, they walk around neighborhoods leaving flyers or pamphlets behind attached to the outside of mailboxes.
- Unsolicited email – It is a good rule of thumb not to open, click on the links, or respond to any unsolicited emails. Further, you may consider flagging these as spam/junk mail.
Last, one notable technique frequently used is known as the “free roof” insurance scam. Often, deceptively friendly roofing scammers will approach you with assurances that they will file insurance claims for you, ostensibly saving you both cost and headache. In practice, they perform subpar and even unnecessary services that result in your unintentional participation in insurance fraud. Some may even intentionally cause damage during a purported “free inspection” in order to sell you their services.
If you decide you are interested in a roofing inspection or estimate, perform your own comparative research online, and choose the provider(s) you want to invite to conduct them. It is always a good precaution to check reviews via third party services such as Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, or Google Businesses and not simply the materials and website provided by the company.
Suspect you have been approached by a roofing scammer? You can report it to the Fraud Division of the Georgia Department of Insurance at oci.georgia.gov/report-suspected-fraud or by calling 404-656-2070 or 1-800-656-2298. You can also file a complaint with the Georgia Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Division by following their instructions here or call 1-800-869-1123.
As a Georgia consumer, if you believe you have inadvertently signed on for a roofing scam, you have five days from the time of signing a contract in your home to cancel that contract. While there are exceptions, this rule does apply to roofing services. Any such contract you sign in your home is required by law to notify you of this right. Georgians have further legal rights specifically when it comes to insurance claims filed for roofing services. If you are notified by your insurance company that any or all of the services for which a claim was filed are not covered by your insurance policy, you have five days from the date of that notification to cancel the contract for services. However, be aware that any roofing services for which you have already paid that meet the legal criteria for “emergency services” will not qualify.
Preserve Roofing will never approach you unsolicited. We do our best to help our customers avoid full roof replacement whenever possible, focusing instead on maintenance and repair. We offer free estimates and, through consultation with you and in line with your goals, provide you with a range of possibilities for preserving your sanctuary.
Contact us at 678-956-5152 for your free estimate.
