Having lived in the same house for over 10 years I’d seen many hailstorms without any real damage to speak of. After the storm I didn’t think I saw any damage, and only decided to get my roof inspected because pretty much everyone in the neighborhood was doing it. I figured the worst that could happen is I might need minor roof repairs, and I wanted to know that before the onset of winter. This time, however, I was way off. It turns out I needed a new roof altogether—but also new siding, a new garage door, and repairs to the gutters and deck. My first encounter was with what turned out to be a fast-talking salesman from one of these fly-by-night companies that sprout like mushrooms after a storm. He told me he had to talk to my insurance company in order to give me an estimate and had me sign a form authorizing him to do so. I was in a rush to get back to work, so I signed it and sent him on his way. Only after looking at the fine print did I realize that I had also agreed to hire him to do all repairs, if I decided to hire another company I still had to pay him, and had 72 hours to cancel—which I did immediately.
Having lived in the same house for over 10 years I’d seen many hailstorms without any real damage to speak of. After the storm I didn’t think I saw any damage, and only decided to get my roof inspected because pretty much everyone in the neighborhood was doing it. I figured the worst that could happen is I might need minor roof repairs, and I wanted to know that before the onset of winter. This time, however, I was way off. It turns out I needed a new roof altogether—but also new siding, a new garage door, and repairs to the gutters and deck. My first encounter was with what turned out to be a fast-talking salesman from one of these fly-by-night companies that sprout like mushrooms after a storm. He told me he had to talk to my insurance company in order to give me an estimate and had me sign a form authorizing him to do so. I was in a rush to get back to work, so I signed it and sent him on his way. Only after looking at the fine print did I realize that I had also agreed to hire him to do all repairs, if I decided to hire another company I still had to pay him, and had 72 hours to cancel—which I did immediately.
