Jancewicz & Son

When I moved to Brattleboro from Washington DC, I was not only unfamiliar with the area, I had never lived in New England, and therefore did not even know what an ice dam was. My house is a simple cape, with a large dormer (flat roof) on the back, which faces north and gets no sun. It is only one and a half stories high on the front, but at the back, because it?s built on a hill, with the dormer it?s three stories high. 
I got three estimates from local roofers: 11K, 14K and 18K. The most expensive bid was Jancewicz, but since I was unfamiliar with the area and they seemed to be the most professional outfit around, I decided to go with them after a very convincing sales pitch--complete with glossy brochures. Before I signed the contract, the salesman did mention that the manufacturer?s warranty on the shingle would be void if the boards that made up my roof deck were not a certain width and spacing. If they were not, it would mean that they could not guarantee that every nail would hit wood since the shingles are designed to conform to those specific measurements. He DID NOT tell me that it would compromise the structure of the roof. I do not have an attic, but he went in a crawlspace to inspect the roof deck and assured me that there would be no problem. Once they got my deposit their customer service evaporated and I called for months asking when work would begin on my roof.
Finally, when work began, they had about a quarter of the old roof removed when the workers informed me that my roof deck did not meet the specifications. They said it would be an additional eight thousand dollars to install a new roof deck (which is simply an under layer of plywood.) This was not an option for me because I just didn?t have the money. What was I going to do now with my roof partially gone? They had me over a barrel to say the least, and I just told them they would have to proceed and begged them to do their best to make sure the nail gun hit wood. They said it shouldn?t be a problem.
The following winter was a freakishly mild one, with almost no snow. It was the winter after that that the problems began. Every time it snowed?even a couple of inches--I would get an ice dam on the dormer section and water would drip down the interior walls of my house. During the second winter I admit I did not do anything to fix the problem. I had a lot of other stressful things going on. The third winter I had a six inch thick wall if ice covering the top two stories on the back. This is when I contacted Jancewicz to fix the problem and the runaround began. They did not return my numerous calls and emails. Finally, after I sent an email threatening a law suit, they brought in an insulation ?expert? (silly me trusting an expert they hired) who told me that it was the steam from my cooking that was seeping through the exterior walls and forming ice on the back. Seriously, how stupid do they think I am? Is it because I?m a single woman?
I was fuming and sought out a lawyer, hoping I could resolve this in court. That?s when I learned that the only thing I could sue for was faulty workmanship for the work that was done. ?Should? does not hold up in court. As in they ?should? have known that this would be an issue with a flat roof facing north. Or they ?should? have recommended a metal roof for the dormer at least. Or they ?should? have put a snow belt at the edge to prevent the dam from happening. Or they ?should? have put a layer of rubber under the shingle. There are a lot of things they could have done to prevent this from happening, but the cost of a lawsuit would be prohibitive and I probably wouldn?t win anyway since I had to sign off on not getting a new roof deck. All I know for sure is that I never had this problem with my old roof and the only difference between my old roof and my new one is one layer of shingle. I am left feeling totally duped, ripped off and victimized. It is going to cost me thousands of dollars to fix the problems Jancewicz caused. My only recourse (and I?m seriously doing this) is putting a 3 x 5 foot sign on the front of my house that says ?Jancewicz did my roof and I am NOT a happy customer.? I live on a busy street and hope it will save at least one person from getting ripped off by this unscrupulous company.