We originally gathered four estimates for the roof and gutters to be replaced on our home. Big G was the cheapest and so we moved forward with them and in November of 2013 they installed a full tear off architectural roof and gutters. The representative that gave us an estimate let us know that they did both and did not sub the gutters out, he described it as two different specialized crews. We later found out, after we ran into dozens of gutter problems, that they subbed them out.
Weeks after the job was complete and we paid for the job in full, we started noticing problems, many problems. As the winter went on, we noticed even more. I made contact very early on and let them know of the problems. Understandingly, they said that the repairs could not be made until the spring. At that time, they gave us a bit of a runaround about having pictures of the problems. They sent one guy out, then another, and still they didn't have pictures. I took many pictures and sent a very detailed report. At that point, the owner of the company finally returned my call and set up a spring meeting. He brought an entire crew of people and listened to all of the problems and agreed to fix everything and then some.
Two crews came out for repairs in the weeks to come. One for the roof and one for the gutters, both of which I was promised were the best of the best and would repair every single problem in addition to inspecting everything and fixing problems that we were not able to see from the ground. The roofing crew spent about 5 hours making repairs followed by the gutter guy who was also here for almost five hours. Both days I had to take off of work in order to be home for the repairs, after all of the problems, we did not feel comfortable having them work here while we were not home.
After the initial repairs made, they have had to return to our home over a dozen times for additional repairs. Every single one, they agreed with and repaired. I have dozens and dozens of photographs and email correspondences to support and document all of the problems that we have had.
The repairs were numerous and include but are not limited to the following:
Major gaps in gutters- in some cases a quarter inch away from our home so that water ran right off the roof and to the ground before ever hitting the actual gutter, this problem existed at almost every single connection
When the gutter crew arrived, they went to our neighbors house instead and ripped 50% of their gutters off. They owned up to it the second our neighbors came home and replaced those gutters with new gutters but they had leaks all winter and spring long as well
Gutter fittings were cracked, bent out of shape, and dented
We had multiple shingle slivers- which they said were normal when butting shingles next to one another. When looking at the roof, you could see them sticking up like a sore thumb, literally.
We had multiple "shiners"- fresh, shiny nail heads sticking right out of our brand new roof. Five were already patched and we have just discovered 6 more. Their fix- tarring right over it. For those of you in the business, you know that this is only a temporary fix. We suggested that the shingles be replaced in those areas but they reassured us that this was standard solution for such a problem
Many gutters were not pitched correctly and had to be re-pitched. We just learned that we have two more that are collecting an inch of water because the pitch is off, this will be a larger problem with the freeze/thaw cycle of our lovely weather through the winter
We found multiple cigarette butts and pieces of gutter scraps littered throughout the gutters.
We had a leak caused by a gutter that was diverted incorrectly, the leak was located under the covered part of our porch.
We had a shingle overhang on the front of our home that was chipped and looked horrible- but was functional according to them
We had an active leak through the drywall in our master bathroom. This Big G claimed was not at all their fault. Two HVAC companies felt differently. Big G tarred over this pipe and put the blame on the pipe. The pipe is 12 years old and the house was just built 12 years ago. Those of you in the business know that these pipes last a lot longer. HVAC found a hole punctured- presumably when work was being done to the roof. Because we could not come to an agreement at this point, I patched and repainted our master bath (took me hours) without further argument. We still don't know who to blame because both sides were so conflicted.
We are quite exhausted of worrying about the $15,000 investment we made in a roof and gutters. It has been non-stop problems since the installation. Up until this point, the service manager has been here in a timely manner to make repairs. The owners wife asked me to no longer call the office with problems- I was shocked. She told me that they cannot be bothered with this anymore and that her husband is busy with estate meetings downtown. She has told me they pay a service manager and that I am to contact him directly.
This weekend we learned of 6 more "shiners" and additional gutter repairs as mentioned above. I have called the office 5 times- only getting a message machine- and I have called and texted the service manager 3 times in the past week and a half with no reply. By chance, I called the other day from a number other than my cell, and I got the owners wife. She took my number and said that the service manager would call. This was two days ago and still nothing.
I posted a review on Yahoo! and Facebook. Both were honest reviews that could be backed 100% with pictures, emails, and all the repair calls to our home. They actually reported my review and had it removed from Facebook.
As time went on, our patience started wearing thin, understandably. I have this terrible feeling that we aren't going to hear from them again but as we have in the past, we will give them the benefit of the doubt and hope for a call back soon.
We have also posted our pictures and story on multiple professional roofing chat boards and had an independent roofing company out for an inspection. All of which support that our claims are reasonable and well worth the complaint.
My husband and I are hard working, reasonable people and we have given Big G the benefit of the doubt many many times. We are at a loss and hope that by sharing our story, you will not run into the same problems that we have been dealing with for the past year. It is our hope that if you have used them in the past, you get an independent inspection to see if you have similar problems, it will save you a lot of stress, money, and time, when your installation warranty is up in a few years.
We spent $15,000 for a boat load of problems- we never asked for a penny back- but this has just been an absolute nightmare to deal with. NO ONE should have to deal with this when having a BRAND NEW roof and gutters put on their home.
I would not at all recommend this company to any of our friends or family members ever. I am new to this site and am not sure if you can contact me directly but I will gladly forward the dozens of pictures and correspondences that I have with our interactions with this company.