"hail damage" - home repair salesmen

[tomcat27]

Every year I get a few sales people knocking on my door and telling me that we had a hail storm last year and they can get me a new, free roof and siding if I sign a contract with them. many many neighbors have done this, with success, through their insurance company. the question I have is - why do the insurance companies go for this? seriously - my roof is 15+ years old. the amount of mineral gravel in my gutters is from normal wear, not hail damage.

next door neighbors got approved for roof and siding. over $20k. and seriously, this was not storm damage.

 

[fsskier]

Fraud is Fraud.....just outright lies and thievery.

I would forward all the information that you have to the your state insurance commissioner.

A very large home rental agency/owner in our area turned in dozens of fraudulent claims for hail and roof damage. He is now spending his days in the state dog pound.

The U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Friday a former Cedar Rapids landlord’s conviction for mail and tax fraud and perjury, denying his claim the district court erred sentencing him to 20 years in prison.

Robert Miell, 56, pleaded guilty to 18 counts of mail fraud and two counts of perjury in 2009. He was also found guilty by a jury in January 2009 of two counts of tax fraud. The charges stem from his fraudulent reports to American Family Insurance of more than $336,000 in storm damage at 145 properties.

 

[Rand]

Its not always fraud we had a wicked hail storm here.

The microburst or whatever the correct term is was right over akron.

My whole street got new roofs. We also got 6 new windows and 12 screens.

Nothing like seeing ice flying sideways at you..

also 3 or 4 major car lots had hundreds of hail claims... ouch.

 

[NMBurb02]

The question is, do you need a new roof and siding because of hail damage? If not, I'd tell the contractors to pound sand and leave you alone. If you legitimately need the repairs/replacements for that reason (not because of age, etc.) then go ahead. But I would probably seek someone else out. If someone comes to me and tells me, instead of asking me, that I need something that they have no business knowing that I need, I wouldn't trust them. They are trying to make a quick and easy buck. Not on my house, buddy.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
The question is, do you need a new roof and siding because of hail damage? If not, I'd tell the contractors to pound sand and leave you alone. If you legitimately need the repairs/replacements for that reason (not because of age, etc.) then go ahead. But I would probably seek someone else out. If someone comes to me and tells me, instead of asking me, that I need something that they have no business knowing that I need, I wouldn't trust them. They are trying to make a quick and easy buck. Not on my house, buddy.


This....

 

[The Critic]

From my experience on the commercial side, sizable claims usually result in a visit from an independent (or the carrier's) adjuster to confirm the validity of the claim. So, I would think that a lot of bogus claims are weeded out this way.

 

[DuckRyder]

These sorts have been caught manufacturing damage all over the country. Generally the signing of a contract before an inspection is a bit of a clue.
You can probably find news stories about it if you google. I know 11 alive in Atlanta did one a few years back and actually caught they guy hammering a downspout on film. I personally would not let these traveling roof salesman on my property.

If you suspect hail damage then have a reputable local contractor or your insurance company inspect it. You can also look for damage to screens, gutters down spouts, mail boxes, grill covers and any other soft metal. Generally those will show damage even before an asphalt shingle.

Granular loss is wear, hail bruises shingles and embeds the granules in the bruise, you can find pictures on google. Bruising and blistering looks similar and is difficult to distinguish in a photograph, but you can get an idea.

 

[toneydoc]

I have insurance with USAA out of Texas. When our members report a claim, USAA always sends out their inspector to evaluate. He climbs on roof, circles damage with chalk, brings owner out to look at it, makes photos and explains his decision/recommendation to USAA. They then follow his advice 100% with my claims. This prevents fraud in my case. And though this may cost USAA money for his labor, it probably saves them a LOT of money in the long run. This probably helps me save money by minimizing fraud with my insurance company

 

[stockrex]

run away from these people, I called my roofer who installed my roof and inspected it and said no issues after a hail storm.

 

[salesrep]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
From my experience on the commercial side, sizable claims usually result in a visit from an independent (or the carrier's) adjuster to confirm the validity of the claim.

I've worked both sides of this fence. The company or salesman trying to get your business is typically canvassing the neighborhoods that do indeed have damage. You will have good guys, bad guys and honest dishonest etc. People will have damage to be repaired, the word scruples comes to mind as the biggest governor.
The adjustors have a balance sheet per storm, area, actuarially etc. which is why some may unscrupulously make "deals" to speed up their process. Usually the age of the roof or siding is taken into account.
Ultimately the homeowner, insurance co. (adj), and contractor reach an agreement...scrupulously or not.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
The question is, do you need a new roof and siding because of hail damage? If not, I'd tell the contractors to pound sand and leave you alone. If you legitimately need the repairs/replacements for that reason (not because of age, etc.) then go ahead. But I would probably seek someone else out. If someone comes to me and tells me, instead of asking me, that I need something that they have no business knowing that I need, I wouldn't trust them. They are trying to make a quick and easy buck. Not on my house, buddy.


Absolutely correct.

 

[PSS]

Don't they jack up your rates after submitting a big claim?

I've always been skeptical of Hail Damage claims. Please educate me. Doesn't hail just bounce off the roof and maybe leave some dings on siding? That requires the hole roof being replaced?

 

[salesrep]

No. totally illegal

 

[salesrep]

From a roof standpoint the hail weakens the shingle or chips it, compromising its "lasting" ability.

 

[bladecutter]

I had a hail storm hit my house and car in the summer of '09.
The rear window in my Boxster, and all along the body was damaged, and it caused a couple leaks in my house and garage. My neighborhood wasn't even the worst of the neighborhoods, either.

Everyone in the neighborhood got new roofs, and some got gutters.

The insurance inspectors climb up on the roof, and look for numbers of hits inside a specific size square on several parts of your roof. They can tell the difference between recent damage, and old damage, so if your roof professional is saying that the damage is recent, yet all the impacts on the roof are old, you're going nowhere, slowly.

All you really need to know is when the largest hailstorm that hit your house was, because that is the very first thing the insurance company checks. If your date that you say the hail storm happened on doesn't line up with their storm data in their systems, you're not going any further than that with them.

BC.

 

[01rangerxl]

Roaming roof contractors were a big nuisance in my old neighborhood. Every time it would rain, they would go around the neighborhood leaving flyers saying that the area had recently been hit by storms and your roof has hail damage. The couple of times the area did get hit by hail, it was minor, but they would advertise as if every time there is pea sized hail, you NEED a complete new roof. They would come to the door about once a week during the construction season and leave flyers every couple of days. Nobody else, even landscapers and painters, were as persistent as the roofing contractors.