EBLING CONTRACTING

Overall, Mr. Ebling did respond to our call promptly and was professional.  Our initial impression was that he really knew what he was doing and that FINALLY our problem was in professional hands.  Mr. Ebling and a worker came to our house in Whitesville in November of 2010 in response to our call about two to four leaks across the front of the roof.  We'd had small problems before but this time the leaks were in the window casing of the living room and master bedroom.  He arrived with a co-worker to address the problem and stated that he'd need a check for $240.00 for the service that day.  I wrote him a check and he and his worker proceeded to the roof and applied a clear sealant to various locations across the roof.  My wife and I pointed out the problem areas and he focused his efforts there.  He said that he felt the problem was fixed, and that if we had other problems to call him.  We thought it was fixed and I even sent a nice email thanking him for his prompt and good service to us on such short notice.  However...as soon as the rain returned a week or so later, so did the leaks...not as bad, but they were still there.  We called and a second man came out and applied more sealant.  The problem remained with no improvement.  We called again and yet another worker came by, after dark on his way home from work, and applied a little more sealant to a different location.  The problem remained after that and is still with us today.  I had asked Mr. Ebling to inspect the roof while there the first time and see if more serious repairs were indicated.  He said the roof was showing wear and that it MIGHT have four or five years left.  This modular home was built new in 2002 with a 20 year shingle roof applied - but the company we purchased it from is no longer in this area and their main plant burned to the ground three years ago.  So we have no recourse but to rely on someone locally to help us.  Mr. Ebling said the roof would need replacing soon and his estimate was almost $3,800.00 - for a single wide modular home.  Mr. Ebling has not called to see if the problem is fixed or if we need further services.  I had hoped that he would be more forthcoming about what was included in his $240.00 service call, but he was not.  It was left open ended and I regret that I didn't nail him down a bit more as to his responsibilities in making sure the leaks were indeed fixed.  The third and LAST time we called about the continuing leaks we got the impression that he'd done all he was able to do - so we figure we spent $240.00 for a tube of sealant and his gas to drive the 18 mile distance to our house two times, and a passer-by-visit from a worker on his way home.  The problem is still with us and we are having to seek other help.  The sum of $240.00 is NOT a small amount to us, but apparently it does not qualify as large enough for Mr. Eblings' crew to be concerned any further.  If there were no guarantees as to the "sealant fix" he should have stated so on his initial visit.  He did say to call if we had further problems, but they acted as if the one trip was what the $240.00 covered and anything else was an annoyance.  To be fair, Mr. Ebling was professional and prompt, but he does not get my positive vote overall because, apparently, we didn't spend large enough sum of cash with him to qualify for his "make-sure-the-job-is-done-right" service.  It's sad because we were so impressed at first.