Confused about roofers and trade associations

[zosie]

Hi, I’m the dumb blond who’s been hit by two cowboy roofers already and am now choosing a new roofer but I’m flummoxed by all the trade associations people are in. I’ve had several people quoting me and most are in one or some of the following associations, well which are best? What’s the difference between them all? The bloke who CASAC sent to me said that trade associations mean nothing and not to go by them at all but I wasn’t bowled over by him as he turned up in a joiners van with a load of tins of paint in the back and looked unsteady on the roof giving me the impression that he’s not used to doing roofs. I’m finding the whole thing confusing and dunno who the hell to pick. I haven’t got all my quotes in yet but so far there’s been a huge variation on price. Someone here said you get what you pay for. I have a quote from one guy who’s not in any trade associations but sounded very promising but seems to be half the price of the others. Not sure who to choose. I don’t want another idiot but then again I don’t want to pay an extra grand for work done to the same standard as another person. Any advice appreciated please.



Federation Of Master Builders http://www.fmb.org.uk/welcome/

The Confederation Of Roofing Contractors http://www.corc.co.uk/

National Federation Of Roofing Contractors http://www.nfrc.co.uk/

Trustmark http://www.trustmark.org.uk/

Age Concern Traders Register

CASAC Check Point http://casac.org.uk/casac-check-point

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

At the end of the day they're all a waste of space and in reality will likely do sweet FA should you ever have a problem. Trouble is they're paid for by their members so their interest come first, despite what the glossy websites say. the forum is littered with threads whereby people have approached a trade body their contractor is a member of following a problem and the promises they claim on their websites never materialise.

Choosing a roof based on whether they're members of one association or another is to be avoided.

 

[zosie]

So I wouldn't be a fool for trying out the guy who's not in any trade associations? Like I say he sounded good and talked about faults with my roof and how it should be, but perhaps he’s good at conning people with charm and wise words? Would any competent roofer re-roof my roof for half the price of everyone else? Or is it just cowboys who do low quotes?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Who knows, maybe he does not have the overheads a large firm has or maybe he prefers to be busy all the time, maybe he drives an old van and spends less on trade associaition membership. Then again maybe he doesn't pay the tax man or have any insurance who knows! As ever the recomnedation is to talk to his previous clients and check his refernces out. A good roofer should be happy to provide the means to back up his claims. If not ......

 

[zosie]

Yes, I think I’ll ring him and pester him as he said he’d include some references for me to check out along with the quote he posted but the quote came on it’s own. He said he’s busy at the mo and he should be able to get on with my roof mid October if I take him on. He also said he could do it in 3 days, maybe 2 ½ but other roofing firms have said it’d take about a week. The last idiot working on my roof said it’d take him 2-3 days and it took him 2 weeks to finish his half-a-job.

Will defo need to check them references if I get the cheap guy to do it.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

As you have experienced already, sometimes 'cheap' can actually mean very expensive!

 

[zosie]

So you'd recommend I spend double for being in with a better chance of getting a better job? I was initially thinking to maybe get the cheap guy and if his work looks cr*p to not pay (as I haven’t with the last roofer), but that could be a gamble if it looks ok to me and so I pay him but get problems later. Or if it looks rubbish but isn’t leaking and I don’t pay, then I could be taken to court to be made to pay even though it may cause me problems in later years. Hmn. As I said somewhere else on this forum, by me not paying the last guy it serves as a warning to other potential roofers to do the job right cos they surely wouldn’t want to waste their time doing my roof and for me to throw a fit and not pay again if it isn’t right. BTW, how quickly after a roof is re-roofed should you pay? Is it acceptable to wait a few weeks for really bad weather to test it out and see if it leaks before coughing up? What’s the norm? The first time I had it done I gave him the cheque the next day without even waiting for rain, that’s how dumb I was the first time around.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

No, read my post again

As you have experienced already, sometimes 'cheap' can actually mean very expensive!

 

[joe-90]

Go to the yard where the roofers buy their kit and ask them in there - they know who is who.

 

[zosie]

He lives quite far from my town, I’d be better off phoning up places to see if they know him, where do roofers buy materials from then? I can look them up in yell.com but I haven’t a clue where you’d buy stuff like that from.

 

[zosie]

Oh hang on, on yell.com you can type in a serach for roofing materials and the area, but 42 places have come up.

Now what? Plus he and other roofers to check out might not get them locally for all I know.

 

[upstairscharly]

Try this scheme. Run by trading standards not some company trying to make money to have their sticker on the van. Had loads of people from it. Not sure if it's in your area yet though. But try it.

http://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/sitepages/bwchome.aspx

 

[zosie]

Hadn't heard about that, cheers for the info. But I'm in the wrong region, there's no one listed as operating in a legal, honest and fair way for miles yet.

 

[upstairscharly]

Hadn't heard about that, cheers for the info. But I'm in the wrong region, there's no one listed as operating in a legal, honest and fair way for miles yet.

shame it is a good scheme.

 

[Alastairreid]

Trade associations are self serving!

Word of mouth is what you are looking for.

Dont pay a penny untill work is complete and you are fully satisfied.
The contractor will normally issue an invoice shortly after completion, you would be expected to settle within a week or two...You should'nt have long to wait for rain.

Cheapest estimate is a gamble especially at half the price of the rest.