Response from CC Roofing Co Inc
We have just received this member report and wanted to clarify a few things. For starters, on our Angie’s List page under the heading “Services Do Not Include” it reads: “We do not give free estimates for gutter cleanings or small leak repairs, but we will happily deduct the price of a service call from the total cost of work performed. Please call us to discuss our rates and we will be happy to come fix your roofing issue.” Those contractors who give free estimates, they know what their time is worth. Additionally, we would like to note that when this member called she was told about our service call fee up front, she chose not to use our services and we did not go to look at her house nor did we bill this member any amount of money. She declined our fee, we said OK. This member points out that her house is “5 short exits south” of us. What this member does not point out is that it is not just the cost of going those “5 short exits” – it is rescheduling our other jobs and estimates, getting there, setting up the ladder, going onto the roof, inspecting and assessing the roof, taking measurements, and if the customer wants a written estimate there is additional office work. In addition to all of that, we are a fully licensed and insured company with liability insurance, worker’s compensation, vehicle insurance, we pay taxes and bills just like everybody else, and all of this overhead must be taken into consideration when going to look at a job. As an example, if you were to call a plumber, air conditioner, or refrigerator repairman, they would charge a service call fee for the technician to come out and assess the problem, plus the cost of labor (we had a plumber here yesterday with a $95 service call fee that does not get absorbed by the cost of labor, but added on in addition to their hourly rate). Our time is simply valuable. We take our work seriously and do the right job. Our service call fee is absorbed by the cost of work if the customer chooses to have us perform the work. If the customer would like to have us perform the repair work when we do the call, if we can do it in an hour or two, have the materials and tools necessary to get it done, we will gladly do it when we go out and have the ladders set up already, then the charge is only for the labor and materials used. If it’s a free repair estimate you’re looking for, keep in mind that contractors who give their time away for free know what their time is worth.