Roofing business weirdness
Discussion
I phoned around a few places this morning to get somebody to come and look at a repair on my roof.
One guy said he could come and quote the same day which he did do - at the time this seemed reasonable as it was raining all day so I assumed roofers would have a bit of free time on their hands. Anyway, he had a look, seemed to know what he was talking about, made a few suggestions etc etc. then quoted on the spot (gut feeling was that it seemed a little expensive maybe, but nothing to compare it to) and said he could get some 'lads' round in the morning to do the job which I agreed to.
After he left, I started doing my due diligence. He's got reviews across all the sites, Google, Yell, MyBuilder and all the others... not huge amounts, maybe 20 or so per site which were all averaging 4-5 stars and seemed generally positive with the odd irrational Karen mixed in but nothing to be alarmed about.
The alarm bells started to ring when I did an image search on his website's 'gallery' and found every single image was copied from various other roofer's sites. One site that I found during this search seemed to be near identical to this guy's site with just a different name and colour scheme but the underlying template was basically identical and they had many photos in common.
I phoned him back to ask if he can come next week so I can at least get some other quotes and he gave me some story about being on a contract in Scotland next week. Why a roofer from the midlands would be on a job in Scotland, I don't know.
My gut feeling is just not good about this guy so I canceled it altogether.
I just feel that it's all really odd, could he really fake so many reviews over so many sites without getting a load of bad ones too? Could he have done a reasonable job despite the non-genuine photos?
Was I harsh to cancel, or is this kind of setup a known thing in the industry and best avoided?
One guy said he could come and quote the same day which he did do - at the time this seemed reasonable as it was raining all day so I assumed roofers would have a bit of free time on their hands. Anyway, he had a look, seemed to know what he was talking about, made a few suggestions etc etc. then quoted on the spot (gut feeling was that it seemed a little expensive maybe, but nothing to compare it to) and said he could get some 'lads' round in the morning to do the job which I agreed to.
After he left, I started doing my due diligence. He's got reviews across all the sites, Google, Yell, MyBuilder and all the others... not huge amounts, maybe 20 or so per site which were all averaging 4-5 stars and seemed generally positive with the odd irrational Karen mixed in but nothing to be alarmed about.
The alarm bells started to ring when I did an image search on his website's 'gallery' and found every single image was copied from various other roofer's sites. One site that I found during this search seemed to be near identical to this guy's site with just a different name and colour scheme but the underlying template was basically identical and they had many photos in common.
I phoned him back to ask if he can come next week so I can at least get some other quotes and he gave me some story about being on a contract in Scotland next week. Why a roofer from the midlands would be on a job in Scotland, I don't know.
My gut feeling is just not good about this guy so I canceled it altogether.
I just feel that it's all really odd, could he really fake so many reviews over so many sites without getting a load of bad ones too? Could he have done a reasonable job despite the non-genuine photos?
Was I harsh to cancel, or is this kind of setup a known thing in the industry and best avoided?
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
In my experience anybody who can do the work the next day is no good and struggles to get work. Anybody who is decent will be booked up far in advance.
All those good reviews will be from his friends and family.
Indeed, more so if they look like they cover a large area with multiple locations.All those good reviews will be from his friends and family.
Use google maps/streetview to check any address actually exists and if it looks too good to be true the warning signs are there!
A roofer isn't likely to be doing his own website so has likely paid someone as above. Either using a template or someone who rinses and repeats similar layouts.
Doing work elsewhere isn't uncommon.
Odd how you thought it was expensive with nothing to compare it too. Did you tell him it would be an easy job or wouldn't take long as well.
Doing work elsewhere isn't uncommon.
Odd how you thought it was expensive with nothing to compare it too. Did you tell him it would be an easy job or wouldn't take long as well.
Weird roofer interactions today.
Context - single garage roof needs replacing. Looks like asbestos but lab tested with certificate stating no asbestos and it's cement board. Remove old roof, couple of 2x4 beams to support some OSB and felt over.
Roofer 1 - It's asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 1 - £5000-£6000 due to the complexity of asbestos.
Me - OK. 1) that's almost double the last quote and 2) IT'S NOT ASBESTOS. Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Roofer 2 - I don't work with asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 2 - Sorry I don't work with asbestos.
Me - Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Our extension builders quoted £3500-£4000 from memory but suggested a small roofer (company size, not in stature) would be more competitive due to their OH&P. I was hoping to get it done for sub-£3000. Am I being naive?
Context - single garage roof needs replacing. Looks like asbestos but lab tested with certificate stating no asbestos and it's cement board. Remove old roof, couple of 2x4 beams to support some OSB and felt over.
Roofer 1 - It's asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 1 - £5000-£6000 due to the complexity of asbestos.
Me - OK. 1) that's almost double the last quote and 2) IT'S NOT ASBESTOS. Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Roofer 2 - I don't work with asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 2 - Sorry I don't work with asbestos.
Me - Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Our extension builders quoted £3500-£4000 from memory but suggested a small roofer (company size, not in stature) would be more competitive due to their OH&P. I was hoping to get it done for sub-£3000. Am I being naive?
Mark83 said:
Weird roofer interactions today.
Context - single garage roof needs replacing. Looks like asbestos but lab tested with certificate stating no asbestos and it's cement board. Remove old roof, couple of 2x4 beams to support some OSB and felt over.
Roofer 1 - It's asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 1 - £5000-£6000 due to the complexity of asbestos.
Me - OK. 1) that's almost double the last quote and 2) IT'S NOT ASBESTOS. Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Roofer 2 - I don't work with asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 2 - Sorry I don't work with asbestos.
Me - Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Our extension builders quoted £3500-£4000 from memory but suggested a small roofer (company size, not in stature) would be more competitive due to their OH&P. I was hoping to get it done for sub-£3000. Am I being naive?
Did they say why they wouldn't accept proof that it is not asbestos? Did they think you had faked it? If so why not then charge you for a test they control?Context - single garage roof needs replacing. Looks like asbestos but lab tested with certificate stating no asbestos and it's cement board. Remove old roof, couple of 2x4 beams to support some OSB and felt over.
Roofer 1 - It's asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 1 - £5000-£6000 due to the complexity of asbestos.
Me - OK. 1) that's almost double the last quote and 2) IT'S NOT ASBESTOS. Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Roofer 2 - I don't work with asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 2 - Sorry I don't work with asbestos.
Me - Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Our extension builders quoted £3500-£4000 from memory but suggested a small roofer (company size, not in stature) would be more competitive due to their OH&P. I was hoping to get it done for sub-£3000. Am I being naive?
Mark83 said:
Weird roofer interactions today.
Context - single garage roof needs replacing. Looks like asbestos but lab tested with certificate stating no asbestos and it's cement board. Remove old roof, couple of 2x4 beams to support some OSB and felt over.
Roofer 1 - It's asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 1 - £5000-£6000 due to the complexity of asbestos.
Me - OK. 1) that's almost double the last quote and 2) IT'S NOT ASBESTOS. Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Roofer 2 - I don't work with asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 2 - Sorry I don't work with asbestos.
Me - Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Our extension builders quoted £3500-£4000 from memory but suggested a small roofer (company size, not in stature) would be more competitive due to their OH&P. I was hoping to get it done for sub-£3000. Am I being naive?
3k for a single garage roof is strong money, especially for such an easy strip. Context - single garage roof needs replacing. Looks like asbestos but lab tested with certificate stating no asbestos and it's cement board. Remove old roof, couple of 2x4 beams to support some OSB and felt over.
Roofer 1 - It's asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 1 - £5000-£6000 due to the complexity of asbestos.
Me - OK. 1) that's almost double the last quote and 2) IT'S NOT ASBESTOS. Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Roofer 2 - I don't work with asbestos.
Me - But it's not, here's the proof...
Roofer 2 - Sorry I don't work with asbestos.
Me - Thanks for coming, have a nice weekend.
Our extension builders quoted £3500-£4000 from memory but suggested a small roofer (company size, not in stature) would be more competitive due to their OH&P. I was hoping to get it done for sub-£3000. Am I being naive?
Lotobear said:
Pie key
Definitely. Nearly got caught out a couple of weeks ago. Liveried up van with local email, phone number and quoting ‘check a trade’, dropping off leaflets.
Stopped them in the street - Irish accents and quoted £550 to re-set a Chimney Pot, £450 for cash…. err ok, I’ll let you know.
Check a trade reviews were from Manchester and the local number linked back to their website when searched.
Very clever - no doubt catch plenty of unsuspecting.
rossub said:
Lotobear said:
Pie key
Definitely. Nearly got caught out a couple of weeks ago. Liveried up van with local email, phone number and quoting ‘check a trade’, dropping off leaflets.
Stopped them in the street - Irish accents and quoted £550 to re-set a Chimney Pot, £450 for cash…. err ok, I’ll let you know.
Check a trade reviews were from Manchester and the local number linked back to their website when searched.
Very clever - no doubt catch plenty of unsuspecting.
Regarding Asbestos you can order special approved polythene bags online, (I have some in my garage), remove the sheets in large pieces, double bag them and take them to a local tip that will accept the, (Do a Google search).
Just use common sense, protective clothing and boots plus approved breathing mask, no reason you can't do it yourself if you are handy,
It is inhaling the DUST which is extremely dangerous,
A friend of mine died aged 60 from Asbestosis, it turned out he worked at a local Asbestos factory thirty years previously.
To sum up, respect it, but don't get paranoid.
Just use common sense, protective clothing and boots plus approved breathing mask, no reason you can't do it yourself if you are handy,
It is inhaling the DUST which is extremely dangerous,
A friend of mine died aged 60 from Asbestosis, it turned out he worked at a local Asbestos factory thirty years previously.
To sum up, respect it, but don't get paranoid.
billbring said:
I phoned around a few places this morning to get somebody to come and look at a repair on my roof.
One guy said he could come and quote the same day which he did do - at the time this seemed reasonable as it was raining all day so I assumed roofers would have a bit of free time on their hands. Anyway, he had a look, seemed to know what he was talking about, made a few suggestions etc etc. then quoted on the spot (gut feeling was that it seemed a little expensive maybe, but nothing to compare it to) and said he could get some 'lads' round in the morning to do the job which I agreed to.
After he left, I started doing my due diligence. He's got reviews across all the sites, Google, Yell, MyBuilder and all the others... not huge amounts, maybe 20 or so per site which were all averaging 4-5 stars and seemed generally positive with the odd irrational Karen mixed in but nothing to be alarmed about.
The alarm bells started to ring when I did an image search on his website's 'gallery' and found every single image was copied from various other roofer's sites. One site that I found during this search seemed to be near identical to this guy's site with just a different name and colour scheme but the underlying template was basically identical and they had many photos in common.
I phoned him back to ask if he can come next week so I can at least get some other quotes and he gave me some story about being on a contract in Scotland next week. Why a roofer from the midlands would be on a job in Scotland, I don't know.
My gut feeling is just not good about this guy so I canceled it altogether.
I just feel that it's all really odd, could he really fake so many reviews over so many sites without getting a load of bad ones too? Could he have done a reasonable job despite the non-genuine photos?
Was I harsh to cancel, or is this kind of setup a known thing in the industry and best avoided?
I had exactly the same experience a couple of years ago. No idea why the cloned websites but it felt all wrong, together with the ability to start next week, and then he said he wasn't VAT registered. No way he could be doing all the stuff he claimed without hitting the t/o for registration.One guy said he could come and quote the same day which he did do - at the time this seemed reasonable as it was raining all day so I assumed roofers would have a bit of free time on their hands. Anyway, he had a look, seemed to know what he was talking about, made a few suggestions etc etc. then quoted on the spot (gut feeling was that it seemed a little expensive maybe, but nothing to compare it to) and said he could get some 'lads' round in the morning to do the job which I agreed to.
After he left, I started doing my due diligence. He's got reviews across all the sites, Google, Yell, MyBuilder and all the others... not huge amounts, maybe 20 or so per site which were all averaging 4-5 stars and seemed generally positive with the odd irrational Karen mixed in but nothing to be alarmed about.
The alarm bells started to ring when I did an image search on his website's 'gallery' and found every single image was copied from various other roofer's sites. One site that I found during this search seemed to be near identical to this guy's site with just a different name and colour scheme but the underlying template was basically identical and they had many photos in common.
I phoned him back to ask if he can come next week so I can at least get some other quotes and he gave me some story about being on a contract in Scotland next week. Why a roofer from the midlands would be on a job in Scotland, I don't know.
My gut feeling is just not good about this guy so I canceled it altogether.
I just feel that it's all really odd, could he really fake so many reviews over so many sites without getting a load of bad ones too? Could he have done a reasonable job despite the non-genuine photos?
Was I harsh to cancel, or is this kind of setup a known thing in the industry and best avoided?
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff