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 Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:44 am Post subject: Storm Chasers? |
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Two questions I am left with after the story below:
A. Did these guys promise a 'kick-back' to the adjuster?
B. Am I justified in not going with them?
I had some slick out-of-towner's knock on my door recently. I was not home. My wife gave them my cell. They seemed professional and were convinced that I could get my roof covered for wind/hail damage. I called my insurance company after two or three calls from them insisting that I do so. They wanted to know when the adjuster would be there and volunteered to show up. I checked with the adjuster and he was agreeable, so I allowed them to come out. They insisted that they needed to come out again (before the adjuster arrived) to take measurements. I was on vacation but allowed it. [Now I believe they may have been adding damage to my roof.] When the insurance company showed up, they spent a lot of time on the roof with the adjuster, then took him out to breakfast. Later, they returned to my house and tried to get me to sign a piece of paper [first day I had met them].... telling me it was necessary to allow them to work with my insurance company. I refused. I said I needed and estimate, competitors estimates, and an approved claim first. Why sign anything before I know if I have a claim, and without numbers? Smart choice. [Contract would have given them permission to start work and compelled me to hire them for the job, regardless of cost.] Later, they emailed and called me almost daily before the claim was approved. Somehow they knew it was approved before I did. Once approved, they wanted a commitment to start work. I asked for an estimate. I compared it to 2 other estimates. They were $5000 higher than a local reputable roofer. Part of the reason was they insisted on a particular shingle/manufacturer with tear off REQUIRED while the lower bid was a nail-over (one layer in relatively good shape) with a similar 30yr dimensional shingle. I informed them that I'd go with the lower estimate since they did not provide a nail-over estimate. My real reasons were the loss of confidence after the initial contract attempt before estimate, the offer to provide the insurance one bill and me a second bill to save part of my high deductible (fraud), and the fact that I believed they were kicking cash back to the adjuster and had damaged my roof. They responded with multiple voicemails and emails telling me that they were responsible for getting my claim approved and that they wish they hadn't wasted their time with me. And insisting my new roof would look terrible and leak. WTF? I googled their business address, it is a house in a distant town. The BBB paperwork they provided was a purposely poor copy. (A-, not yet accredited.) No website. Business license for local area was only 1 week old.
Am I just paranoid, or were their enough red flags here?
Am I justified in dumping them?
What are the chances they were in bed with the adjuster?
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Anonymous123
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:09 am Post subject: |
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I would have the same reservations...especially after offering to cover the deductible for you. Something you might want to mention to your agent/company so they can be prevented from doing this in the future.
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DanWilliams
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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Never . . . NEVER . . . do business like this with someone who comes looking for you.
It's exactly the same as the person who calls you on the phone and says, "I'm from the bank, and you heard on TV that some personal information was taken from our computer system over the weekend. Well, we just need to reset your PIN number to protect your account. Please tell me what your current PIN number is, and then give me the new PIN number you want to use."
Say goodbye to your bank account!
Unscrupulous contractors (possibly even unlicensed) will take you for a big ride -- often for far more than the insurance company will pay.
CAVEAT EMPTOR!!
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MaxHerr
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