A few weeks ago we received a call for an estimate on a shingle roof replacement in Nashville. We went out, met the homeowner and walked the roof. The next day we brought her samples along with a proposal to replace the roof. In the days ahead we continued to bring her more samples to help her in making a color decision for her Shingle roof replacement. A few days later she contacted us to let us know that she went with another roofing company because, “they were $2,000 less than our contract price”.
Please understand this is a large and reputable Roofing company here in Nashville. But what we are seeing more and more of is back-of-the-truck roofing laborers being hired by these large Roofing companies to do work for them. They are not employees of XYZ Roofing company and therefore is not responsible for Workers Compensation Insurance because the supposed roofing laborers have the insurance. Which means savings of $2,000 like this homeowner received.
A week had passed….we received a call….and this is what we found.
Where metal or counter flashing is to be used they installed EPDM!! Seriously!! EPDM is adhered with glue plus this is a stucco house. So now we have to come in, replace all the EPDM with metal, and then completely gut the stucco where ever it is attached and have a subcontractor redo ALL the stucco.
Next, we found EPDM not attached correctly and was having water come through. This was the cause of the homeowners phone call. She let us know that she called the XYZ Roofing company about the leak and they never came to take a look at it. A few days went, rain came and she called us apologizing that she made a BIG mistake.
Along with that – in the World of Roofing there is ridge vent and when manufacturers that make ridge vent supply nails for the Roofing company to use to adhere the ridge vent YOU’RE SUPPOSE TO USE ALL OF THEM!! Wonder what would happen if Nashville received some tornado like winds?
Lastly, there was trash everywhere!
More and more scraps…
Even some extra nails just in case she ever needed some apparently (said with sarcasm…).
I hate that this happened to this homeowner. What they thought that they were saving in $2,000 will cost more in repairs to the home and the roof replacement instead.
I cannot stress enough this truth – I grew up in roofing helping my dad tear apart shingles as a little kid, so you can say roofing is in my blood, but I don’t care what business you’re in it’s time to go back to the “old-school” way of doing things – TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR WORK!!
If you are in this business and you have to “sub” work out, then you may have to think about HOW you do business. Maybe you have to downsize, sell a few pieces of equipment, diversify or whatever it is but once you loose touch with the customer….success will only take you so far.
My dad always taught me “to never give up and to look at success as only what others say about you”. This from a man that installed and owned a Roofing company for 40 plus years.
My question is – what does your company say about you XYZ Roofing?
