Something happens to your home, and you either need a roof repair or a roof replacement. You want to get the job over with and forget about it. You might be tempted to go with the cheapest roofing contractor who can get to your home the quickest. Now you think you've saved yourself time and money comparing roofing estimates. But what happens down the road?"The average roofing company only stays in business for four years."It's widely stated that 80% of roofing contractors fail within the first two years. In 5 years, 96% are entirely out of business.Many roofing contractors go out of business for good reasons. If customers don't hire the company, the company goes out of business. Maybe there was bad customer service, low quality in their work, or perhaps even bad employees. There are several reasons why a roofing company can't stand the test of time.
A bad reputation follows the roofing industry.
Storm chasers are at the top of the list for roofing scams. This isn't the type of person that follows a tornado and gets scary footage. These roofing contractors amp up their selling when a significant storm or natural disaster comes through your area. They're here one day and gone the next.Think about it. A storm has just hit your house, and you're in desperate need of a new roof or repair. They come to your home and offer a fix with a "low price" that you're desperate for. If they don't just run off with your money first, the work will be low quality, and you'll be hard-pressed to be able to get in contact with them again. They're off to the next storm, never to be heard from again.
According to the BBB, in 2021, roofing contractors were the number one inquiry as people looked to validate a roofing contractor. Roofing contractors also landed in the top 50 for rank by complaints in 2021. Over 6.6 million questions to the BBB about a roofing company and 5,722 complaints from customers that had a bad experience. In ONE year! Cenvar Roofing is pleased to have been able to say that we only have had one complaint in the last three years and zero complaints in the last 12 months.Not all roofing companies are untrustworthy, and they look to be the difference, yet you need to pay attention to who you might be hiring for your home improvement project.
Below average customer satisfaction
If you want to be a satisfied customer when choosing a roofing company near you, take a look at the reviews of the company online. Google reviews would be the most popular, with BBB providing great results as well. Other platforms would include yelp, HomeAdvisor, Angi, Guild Quality, and Facebook. If you see a company that only has a few Google reviews but is claiming to have been in business for years and years, the chances are that they're curating their reviews. Check multiple listings to get a holistic picture of how this roofing company treats its customers.When a previous customer lists a complaint on Google, or the BBB, take a note of how the company responds. Do they argue back and say that they did everything right? Or do they accept responsibility and try to make it suitable for the customer? Do they take the review and respond as a form of growth? Below average customer satisfaction will be evident in these reviews, and you'll be able to find out quickly if the company provides low-quality work or even has poor regard for you, the customer.
Our Lynchburg branch is proud to have an incredible number of reviews with positive experiences for our customers.
Bad reviews: Warning!!
Make sure you do yourself the favor and search for the negative reviews. Often times you'll find random reviews that don't have anything to do with the business's service. Cenvar Roofing has a few disgruntled people that weren't chosen for the name change contest in 2019. We can't do much about those reviews except focus on the customers we served. If you find a bad review, see if the company responded or if the customer followed up with an addition to their review. This will tell a great story about the company you were looking to hire.
Poor finance handling
Some roofing contractors may go out of business within five years because of mismanaged finances. When times get complex and material prices increase, the roofing business can be a tough one! Roofing contractors often see the roofing business as a quick way to get rich and have lots of profit. Instead of pouring the profit back into their people, equipment, or growth, they might take the profits and ultimately put themselves out of business down the road.
Quick roofing tip
Insurance costs a roofing contractor money. Some might try to work around paying for insurance, so make sure that you ask to see proof of insurance. You're protecting yourself in case of an accident or injury on the job! If the roofer makes a mistake on your new roof replacement or repair, their liability insurance coverage protects you, the homeowner, from paying for their error.
To wrap it all up
Check reviews. Check reviews. Check reviews. Look for proof of insurance. Get recommendations from friends and family. Hire Cenvar Roofing. Simple!
