ADVANTAGE BUILDING CONTRACTORS

"I have just received notice of this post and wanted to respond immediately. We are a very respectable and highly rated company. We have been certified by the Federal Government as an SBA 8a firm and we would not have been able to obtain that particular certification if our business practices and regard for our customers were consistent with the statements the member posted. First and foremost, I regret that the member is not one of our many happy customers. Obviously, it is our customers that have made us a successful company. I have talked with member on several occasions. We replaced his roof in October 2009. We previously met with his insurance carrier and secured full approval of his roof due to hail. In June 2010, the member called my office and advised that his roof was leaking. I called him back immediately and he explained that his roof did not leak prior to him going to Florida to stay at his second home for several months. He explained that when he returned, he observed that he had interior damage, but that his roof was not leaking. I sent a repair technician to his home. Upon inspection, the repair technician informed me that the roof had previously leaked due to ice damming. When I spoke with the member again, I advised him that ice damming is considered an "Act of God" and that neither our warranty or any other roofing warranty that I am aware of, offers coverage for ice damming. The member was noticeably agitated and verbally expressed that he felt because he paid $16,000 for his roof that we should cover the damage. I explained that regardless of how much or how little someone paid us for service, they deserve to be covered under terms in our written warranty. I further explained that we replaced about 30 roofs in his subdivision all within compparable price ranges, and that we would service any of his neighbors in the same, fair way. I further explained that we maintain a written warranty so that customers have no need to wonder what their terms of coverages are and that for most customers, it provides a high level of comfort. Our warranty specifically excludes ice damming due to the fact that it is an "Act of God" and coverage is offered under all homeowner insurance policies. The member did not want to file an additional claim with his insurance company and that was perfectly understandable. However, he remained very upset that we would not repair his interior drywall. Be advised his roof was no longer leaking and was not leaking at the time we responded due to the ice melting over the previous spring; probably when he was still in Florida. Another point was brought up during my conversation with the member. He expalined that his insurance carrier paid for ice and water shield. We installed ice and water shield in all areas designated (valleys and eaves). In fact, we made the recommendation to have ice and water shield installed even though it was not present before our installation nor was it a code required item. We made the recommendation because we felt it was the best thing to install. Ice and water shield is not yet a code required item in Carmel, Indiana. It should be, but unfortunately many roofing companies do not install ice and watershield unless the insurance companies pay for it. We install this item on EVERY roof and in EVERY climate whether insurance companies pay for it or not. Again, I wish the member could be a happy customer. He advised that we should have taken care of his interior work, whether it was our fault or not, to make a happy customer because he stated that it would only be a "couple of hundred dollars." I do see his point. However, I also feel that we must always move forward in a fair way that is consistent with our warranty and also be willing to do the same for every client."