You can't say you haven't been warned.
Local contractors are using every way possible to get the word out.
“The risk here is your home is your biggest asset,” says Mark Eaton, a local contractor and member of the Wichita Area Builder’s Association.
Eaton says in the hours and days following the recent hail storm, as many as 100 out of state roofing companies came to Wichita. That's why the association took out ads to warn homeowners.
“They're coming under the radar and hooking up with the local guy and using their license,” says Eaton.
Ed Frederick, president of Buckley Roofing, took out this ad in the newspaper. He says an hour after the storm hit he got a call from a roofing company in Alabama. The next day he got one from Colorado.
“They want to use my name to draw permits and they give me a cut,” says Frederick.
Even during our interview with Frederick a roofer from Texas stopped by. He was sent on his way and had no interest in talking to us.
“It doesn't surprise me at all,” says Eaton.
FactFinder 12 obtained a copy of a voicemail left by an out-of-state roofer. He called a well established local roofer to ask to work under the local name.
Here’s part of the call:
“I wanted to give you a call to see if you would be possibly interested in entering into some kind of an agreement where we could work under your name,” says the caller, who identified himself a roofer from Ohio.
“The general public has no idea what's going on out there,” says Eaton.
Eaton says there are good out of state companies, but you need to ask who will honor your warranty.
He says the companies go where there is money to be made and right now that’s in Wichita.
