LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– With the severe weather many areas have been facing in Acadiana, Darren Domingue the owner of Lafayette Roofing & Contractors told News 10 there’s an influx of fly-by-night contractors right now. Here is what you should know so you are not a victim of getting scammed.
“What they’re doing is they’re doorknock and they’re telling these customers they had damage when they actually don’t, which is making these customers follow a claim and they can’t pinpoint the claim to a certain weather event. Insurance is coming out. They’re deeming the roof not storm damage, but unfit, normal wear and tear,” Domingue said. “These homeowners are now only given 30 days before they have to change their roof or an insurance company will drop it.”
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Domingue said when hiring a contractor, you want to make sure you’re getting three bids.
“If you’re a legit roofing company, we should all be within $500, give or take. If somebody is way less, something’s not right and they’re making up that difference somewhere or cutting corners,” he said. “What’s happening in a lot of fraud and insurance fraud right now is these contractors are showing up. They’re telling you, you have damage and they’re asking you to sign essentially a blank contract where you’re giving up your insurance rights and your money. At that point, the contractor isn’t fighting for the well-being of the homeowner. They’re fighting for their own pocket.”
“With that being said, let’s say you have interior damage or exterior damage, not just your roof,” he added. “They get that whole check. So now you don’t have the money to do that. So they’re lining in their pockets and you’re giving up all your insurance rights as well.”
Domingue said the last 10 to 12 years, they have done over 10,000 insurance claims and have seen the horror stories of people getting scammed.
“It just breaks your heart because especially right now in these times, people can’t afford it, and the importance of a roof that protects everything below. It’s not just protecting your belongings, protecting your family, everything else and it’s one of the largest expenditures a homeowner has to incur,” Domingue said.
Domingue added don’t let a 337 number fool you because a lot of these companies are acting like they’re local where they might even have a local owner, but their crews aren’t.
“These crews are coming and they don’t care if they do a good job or bad job. They’re leaving and it’s leaving homeowners to pick up the pieces,” he said.
“Consumers want to realize that when there’s an opportunity in a market in this instance, potential damage for contractors would be needed to fix it,” Chris Babin, the President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau said, said. “There may be businesses or people that are not even associated with businesses coming into that market trying to lure you into doing business with them, where they’re not the reputable contractor or business that you believe they are.”
“The contractor industry is probably the industry where there are the most bad players out there,” Babin said. “Now, of course, there are great businesses out there, but you have to make sure you’re choosing them and not one of these bad players that just appear to be good.”
You can check a business’s track record with the Better Business Bureau or call at 337-981-3497. They can verbally give business profiles over the phone.
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