The roofing industry has its share of scammers and low-quality workmanship. It's difficult to find a roofing contractor you can trust to use expert craftsmanship at a fair price.
Where do you look to find a business you can trust?
Homeowners often turn to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to look for quality contractors. However, many of these businesses with A+ ratings have received numerous customer complaints and may not actually be what they appear. From an article in Time magazine's www.time.com, Carrie A. Hut President and CEO of the BBB not only stated how the BBB is not a government agency, but also said, “We are not rating the products or services they provide.” Instead, business grades are mainly determined by “how they resolve customer complaints.”
If a business does not pay the annual fee to be a member and resolve any complaints through the BBB directly they will receive a poor BBB grade. In 2009, David Lazarus from the Los Angeles Times found that in a database of over 4 million North American companies, the BBB accredited businesses with numerous complaints received higher grades than unaccredited (nonpaying) businesses.
As part of an ABC News investigation, two small business owners were filmed as they were told by BBB telemarketers that their grades of C could be raised to A+if they paid $395 membership fees. Furthermore, a group of Los Angeles business owners paid $425 to the Better Business Bureau and obtained an A- grade for a non-existent company called Hamas, named after the Middle Eastern terror group, and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck told ABC News that parts of his restaurant empire have received an F grade because he refused to pay to join the BBB.
If you think you can trust companies like "Yelp" that allow customers to review businesses...think again. The documentary Billion Dollar Bully investigates Yelp and its alleged business practices and charges of "extortion, review manipulation, and paying employees to write reviews". Unfortunately for the consumer, many of these "review" sites are pay to play and not necessarily trustworthy for information.
Why we chose to partner with Roofing Insights.
Dmitry Lipinskiy, founder of Roofing Insights, has an online business school for contractors and strives to "raise standards for the entire (roofing) industry." He set out to educate roofing contractors on materials, workmanship, and best business practices. Frustrated with the lack of quality consumer directories for roofing contractors, he started a directory with specific requirements for inclusion. In order to qualify contractors must be vetted, have a solid reputation backed by customer reviews, and each contractor must sign and code of ethics.
Further, Roofing Insights is so confident in the integrity and professionalism of the roofing contractors in their directory, they back it up with a $20,000 guarantee. This guarantee includes coverage if the contractor goes out of business, as well as if the contractor performs services or installs products that are not in compliance with building codes or product manufacturer's specifications.
Dmitry Lipinskiy and Selz Contracting owner, Chet Selz, have been long time personal friends and colleagues for many years. In the following video, they speak with lead generation company Home Advisor about dubious practices while at a roofing expo in Las Vegas.
What does that mean for you?
The team at Selz Contracting wants you to have complete confidence when choosing us for your roofing needs. By partnering with Roofing Insights, we can now offer our customers an additional layer of protection with their $20,000 guarantee. Combined with our expert workmanship and a personalized experience, you can trust our team to handle even the most difficult roofing situation.
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