Consumer’s Guide to Roofing Repairs – How to Avoid the 12 most Common Traps

The following are the most common traps people fall into when deciding on a roof repairer. Some roofing companies employ high pressure tactics to get you to commit to their offer on the spot.

These include:-

1) Only offering to quote when your partner is at home. This enables them to pressure you both to commit on the spot.

2) Ensuring you allow 60-90 minutes for them to complete their well-rehearsed sales pitch.

3) Ignoring the standard cooling off period.

4) Quoting a high price then discounting if you sign today.

5) Asking for a deposit on the spot.

6) Calling “the office” to see if they can get you a better price.

7) Offering a “discount” if they can place their signage on your property for a period, usually 6 months.

The other most common roofing complaints include:

8) Broken promises, especially with start and finish dates. They promise to start next week, then delays mean they won’t really start for a month or two. But they already have your deposit…

9) Poor communication. When you try to complain about the delays or workmanship, you can’t get hold of the slick salesperson who committed you in the first place. Furthermore, they have no complaint resolution process in place.

10) Poor workmanship and materials. With little roofing experience and qualifications, the salesperson will find the cheapest solution that may not really solve your problem, although his price may not reflect this. The ways they cut corners include:-

• Using subcontractors who may have little or no experience and qualifications. They also take no responsibility. They often “patch repair” using inappropriate materials and methods such as silicone.
• Improper preparation so that any sealing of your roof is temporary at best.
• Substandard materials such as cheap mortar, poor pointing mix and low quality paint.
• Applying only one coat of paint to conceal defects rather than solve them.
• No sign off procedure to ensure your satisfaction upon completion and that all rubbish is removed from site. Includes nails in gutters and garden beds etc.
• Overspraying of the area, including neighbours’ roofs.

11) Offering long guarantees, but they will charge you a call out fee if they need to answer your complaints on site. If they are “fly by night” operators or overseas backpackers, you may never get a resolution. Some companies offer a 20 year guarantee when they may close down and rebrand after only a year or two.

12) Not qualified, registered or insured. Without the right insurance, you may be liable for accidents occuring on your site. For further information on potential pitfalls, we recommend you go to productreview.com.au and search roof repair companies. You would be surprised to learn that one of the largest roofing companies in Australia has been rated as terrible in 51 out of 56 reviews with a further 3 rating them as bad. The Roof Dentist does not employ any of the practices outlined in this report and is proud to have been servicing Melbourne for the past 30 years. We employ no salespeople and the person who quotes the job is the one who does the job.

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