You have lived in a quiet neighborhood for years and no one has ever bothered you or knocked at your door to solicit any services. Yet, that recent storm left some bad hail damage and that changed it all. Now, you have 10-20 people pounding on your door every day offering free roofing inspections and complimentary roofing services if you only choose them.
Believe it or not, not every person that knocks at your door offering roofing services is actually a Minneapolis roofer. As a matter of fact, most of these people that knock at your door are not roofing contractors at all. They are either “sales people” or “canvassers” who sets appointments for sales people. A common line from these skeptical storm chasers is that the roofing companies “work for them.”
Comparing the best roofing companies can be a daunting task. I want to explain the difference between a storm chaser and a reputable local roofing company by highlighting five reasons to choose a local roofing company for your roof repairs instead of entertaining high-pressure and annoying storm chasers.
1) When you employ local roofers you support your community. Local roofers will be here to serve you year after year while storm chasers are here to make a quick buck. Trust local. If you live in Minneapolis, it doesn’t make sense to trust someone from Texas, Florida, or Illinois to work on your roof. When considering a roof repair company, the biggest questions to ask are: Did they serve your area before storm, hail, or catastrophic event? Will they serve your area later? You only want to repair your roof once or twice in your lifetime, why would you take the risk of choosing a company that will not be able to warranty it or simply check it out if you have leak or issues down the road? Why would you risk dealing with a company that is only in the area to make quick money and not to take care of its customers?
2) Warranties are better. You will always get a “real life warranty” from a local roofing company. Storm chasers usually care more about the initial scope of work and rarely care about customers for life. While they can print a 10-year warranty, it’s very questionable if they are not planning to service your city for years to come. Ask to see their work in the city where they have the most jobs at the time. Today, they may be printing warranties in your city but tomorrow; they may be in a city 150 miles away or more. Ask about their return time in case some issues arise from the poor quality roofing job they might do for you. A local roofer in the Twin Cities will put his name on it and will care to pick up the phone when you call him (and you will likely see them at local grocery store).
3) Local roofers are more honest. Storm chasers have to milk it sometimes. An honest reputable roofing company will never try to replace your roof if it can be repaired. That storm chaser didn’t knock at your door to sell you a $99 roof maintenance package; he wants all the money your insurance will pay him. Most of the time, a storm chaser is not there for your roof; he is there for the insurance money. On the other hand, a reputable local roofer will care more about being honest and his name. He will be around and you can call him when you’re in need of future roof replacement services.
4) Roofers won’t pressure you like a storm chaser will. A reputable local roofing company shouldn’t have problems getting their phone to ring. Roofing is high demand job but it can be hard to find good company. Good Minneapolis roofing companies don’t struggle with referrals or repeat business, while storm chasers are forced to knock on hundreds of doors to get business. Why? Because storm chasers don’t have enough business coming their way. They say they go where damage is, but in reality they don’t knock at doors to entertain you, they come to sell you without invitation. Storm chasers are much more aggressive in their sales tactics than a local roofing contractor. Doesn’t it make more sense to work with a roofer whose reputation sells itself? Storm chasers must sell on the spot and generally don’t have the proven track record to back up their work.
5) Roofers are direct, chasers are middle men. Most people don’t realize that storm chasers are do not represent an entire organization. I have seen teams of 10 to 15 sales people coming from Texas after a storm to door knock and subcontract work to local subs. They compete with local roofing companies but they are not competitive. A lot of times, they will simply sell you “local” labor at a premium price. Your dollars will go to their hometowns instead of your local humble roofers who are not bold enough to aggressively knock on doors.
Yes storm chasers can be very persistent, but its only because they are money driven. You will be better off finding a local trusted roofing company and give them your business in exchange for years of satisfaction and service.
