GF Sprague & Company, Inc.

Description of Work: The representative they sent out was very nice, courteous and professional. However, they quoted $16,000-21,000 for a job that two other firms quoted for $3000-$4000 and we had done for ~$3000. They also used hard sell tactics to try and get us to sign an agreement and put down a deposit immediately (e.g. 5% off if you sign with us today). It is difficult not to feel like they were taking advantage of the severe weather to gouge customers.

Description of Work: .

Description of Work: Roof was raked twice. First time at the beginning of the snow season - the price was reasonable and the roof rakers were experienced. Second time - they doubled the price and had hired inexperienced roof rakers.

Description of Work: Remove snow and ice from the roof of my home.

Description of Work: Chopped ice dams on roof. Did an excellent job.

Description of Work: My house is a very small, 1 story cottage with no attic. I myself can climb on a step ladder and reach the gutter. I had water leaking into my house in about a 3-4 foot line from where the back wall met the edge of the roof. |They gave me a very exact time slot from 12:00--2:00 on Saturday, Feb. 21.The said they were leaving at 2:00 regardless of whether the job was finished. Then at 7:40 AM on Saturday they came to my door and woke me up saying that they had to push up the time and they had to do my roof then. |They were at my house for only 44 minutes and I had to pay them $1085 before they left. There were 3 of them, and they did clean off all the snow and ice, but $1445 an hour is still excessive. Also, there are some smallish pieces of black-flaked flat material that looks like shingles in the snow they took off the roof. I asked them about it and they said it wasn't part of the roof, that it was just some debris, but I'm not sure about that yet. There hasn't been a big snow or rain since they came. And I haven't had a chance to look carefully at the roof since they left.

Description of Work: I purchased a prepaid roof snow/ice dam clearing package from an Angie's List solicitation for 4 hours of work. The package details were not clear that this was for 4 'man-hours' of work, as the foreman of the group indicated that 4 men would be working for an hour to clear as much as they could in an hour. Poor communication in the offer, but fair. The reason for the low rating is the quality of the work. The team arrived approximately on the scheduled time, but 4 men did not work for an hour to clear the ice dams from the roof of the house as the truck arrived with the bed covered in snow, which required at least 10-15 minutes of removal to get to the ladders and clearing tools. The team left with only 1/2 of the dames on 2 sides of the house addressed with no communication as to the how/when the rest of the job could be completed, regardless of whether it would be covered under the prepaid package from Angie's List. Since that time, the ice dams that were untouched resulted in water damage issues with the building. | |Not only did this experience color any future recommendations for GF Sprague, but I'm concerned that Angie's List would promote a vendor with this level of quality and service.

Description of Work: I initially called them based on Angie's favorable rating of them. They first said they were to busy and probably not going to be able to provide service for me. They then called, and asked if I wanted to set up an appointment. I told him I would call him back in a few minutes or early the next morning after I asked my partners if they wanted to use this service. That evening I read Angie's reviews from customers who have used them in the last several months......OMG ... Stories of them taking deposits, not showing up and refusing to refund were numerous. Normally I never deal with anyone that requires such a large deposit( $985 for 2 hours)....A reasonable request would be to ask for a deposit of $100 which could be refunded if you canceled at least four hours before the scheduled appointment). I ended up using Kuhl's Contracting from Minnesota. I was very pleased they used steam to clear ice vs. using hammers, ice picks,drills or chemicals, and they came next day. The lesson I took away from this experience is this: do not pay attention to the Angie's summary rating of a contractor. You should read the reviews and if there are no reviews or there are very very few reviews ... then you need to realize that the value Angie's list is minimal in this instance. They basically at this point with no reviews are just listing contractors in your area almost like the yellow pages of the phone book.

Description of Work: Here is the story: When I purchased the service my intention was to purchase a complete clean up of the roof. As I am not an expert in this area, I thought that the suggested 4 hours could be enough. When I called to set up the appointment nobody ask any question about the job need, nor the size of the house, or the condition of the roof. What was done in 4 hours was some limited removal of the snow along the gutters in the higher part of the house and on the porch at the front entrance and smaller icicle removal. Two major icicles were only partially removed because the guys did not have the tools that could accomplish that task. Nothing was done in the lower part of the house. When I asked the manager to extend the time, as I would have gladly paid the extra time necessary to complete the job, I was told that the crew needed to move to the next job, despite the fact that the day before they could not make the appointment at my house because the crew was still busy at a job that took longer than expected, which indicated to me that extensions are possible. Needless to say a partial job, and this job was really partial, did not accomplish the goal of reducing the likelihood of damage that can come to the house from ice dams. It seems to me that the high demand for these service in the area has led to the recruitment of a significant number of crews of well meaning and even hard working but not very highly proficient and efficient people. Therefore only so much can be accomplished in a certain amount of time. Most of the 4 paid hours (1 hr and 20 min for three guys) were spent to shovel snow on the ground to position ladders. When work on the roof could have actually finally be accomplished the allotted time was over and the guys were told to leave. It was unfortunate that at that point the guys that came could not stay longer, as I am sure they would have completed the job. My disappointment is not so much with the execution of what was done but with the management of the crew, the fact that no information about the job was collected early on, the time to do it in full adjusted accordingly, and the fact that the crew was not allowed to stay to finish the job that they had started, despite my willingness to pay the additional extra time. I cannot call the service I received satisfactory. Pictures were taken at the end of the job to document what was one.

Description of Work: Removed ice and snow, but there was pricing issues and their products seem to go up and up rapidly. They like to price gouge where they can. Ice was removed with an ax and it was a good quick fix, but I had to call someone else a week later. They didn't use any preventative measures but the job was done.

Description of Work: They initially scheduled the service and then called back five days later to say they had to cancel because they are narrowing their service area. I would have preferred not being scheduled at all rather than have them change their minds since we turned down other potential appointments and this is a time-sensitive matter.

Description of Work: They sent an email with a phone number to call. I called the number multiple times daily and they never picked up. Meanwhile, days passed and I did not get another ice dam removal service until today. Now my house is leaking in the house. I am not impressed with Angie's List. If they advertise, they need to return the call. Carol Hevia, Psy.D.

Description of Work: I contacted G.F. Sprague to clear the snow and ice from my roof after the recent snow storms. They were ultimately unable to perform the service (due to the heavy workload), so I can't give them an A. However, their communications with me about difficulties they were having with scheduling were prompt and professional. They didn't leave me hanging. For that reason, I will consider contacting them in the future if I need roofing services.

Description of Work: They could not provide the promised service.

Description of Work: Due to the tremendous amount of snow, this company became flooded with calls for service. They did a good job keeping me informed of the progress with getting my job scheduled. When they were able to schedule the job, I had already hired someone else because I considered my job an emergency, and so had called a couple of different companies. This company was very professional. I would call them again for similar services if I needed them.

Description of Work: Removed ice dams. Prompt and efficient service and were able to move us up in the schedule when they got a cancellation. Follow up inspection has given us a good plan to address the problems. Very satisfied.

Description of Work: new roof

Description of Work: G.F. Sprague had been to our home a couple of years ago to fix a bad problem with an ice dam. The builder who put on our roof (not G.F.Sprague) had not put enough ice and water shield to protect against leaks caused by ice dams. G.F.Sprague did an excellent job. This summer we had a problem with the flashing around our chimney, our gutters and downspouts and some rotted wood all around our house. G.F. Sprague was prompt, professional, fixed the problems and we trust them. Nothing but good things to say about their performance.

Description of Work: Roofing, it went okay.

Description of Work: They came in with pressure sales tactics, bid on only part of the job to have the lowest price and then after getting the job, told us we needed to do more extensive work.

Description of Work: This is a warning about what happens when you get pressured into signing a contract. I definitely should have looked here first but they came recommended from a friend. I am sure they probably do excellent work. But sometimes you just need good enough. The sales pitch is very high pressure, full of photographs and concern that you have to do the right thing immediately for your house. I was expecting what we needed to be 1/10 of what they said it would cost. They told me if I signed immediately I could save $6000 on what would have been almost a $30,000 job. I was on my way out of town and signed when I should not have. By the time I realized this was ridiculous, it was too late (past the three days). I spoke to my lawyer. I could have waited for them to sue me. But they expect 10% if you cancel the contract. I tried talking to them about it to no avail. In the end I decided to pay them off and have someone else do it for much less. It was still cheaper than having them do the scaled down version. Be warned. Do not fall for the signing immediately. Definitely get another estimate. Be warned they will come after you for the 10%. It was an expensive mistake I will never make again.

Description of Work: Ice dam repair.

Description of Work: This company is a total sham. 2 years ago we had them come in for an estimate on our roof. I had just had my child a month prior so my husband was sitting with them for their "pitch". The salesperson insisted I sit with them and was clearly upset that I wasn't because I had the baby to attend to. Their quote was unbelievably high and we didn't go with them because we didn't like the hard sell or the price. 2 years later we have a leak. I forgot who I had called years ago so I ended up calling Sprague again. When I booked the appointment the woman on the phone said that I needed to put aside an hour for the inspection then another 45 minutes after for a consult. I told her that I didn't want the consult, to just send the quote and if I had questions I'd call. She agreed to that. Well, the salesman came by, was thorough enough but definitely was wasting my time by insisting I be present while he was up on the roof. Anyway, he said that he needed to sit down with my husband and I to hear the estimate. I again told him that I'd prefer he send the quote and if I had questions, I'd call. He basically told me that I wouldn't be able to understand the quote. I told him that I was intelligent enough to read and understand the quote and if I didn't I'd ask questions. He said that he couldn't "in good conscience" let me just read the quote without his presence. I said that I'd give him 15 minutes and that's it. He finally left and I was left with an uneasy feeling that somehow I've been scammed or talked into something I didn't want to do. So I talked to my husband later and he said that we should pull the plug with these guys. If they didn't listen to me twice, while still in the honeymoon phase of the sale then you can't imagine what it will be like later when they've started the job. I'd have no chance of them listening to me. So, the salesman called last night and I told him straight up that I feel like I'm being pressured, that I'm not comfortable with the hard sell and that no one in the company listened to me when I asked for a simple quote without the hard sell. I said that either you drop the quote in the mail or we'll have to go our separate ways. He chose the highway. Good riddance. I feel like I've been in the movie "Tin Men". Total s*****.

Description of Work: REBUILT PORCHES, DID ROOF, GUTTERS, METAL ROOFING, CARPENTRY, VENTILATION.