There has to be someone (will) who won't hide and at least be reasonable. I'm willing to negotiate. I CAN CHECK any doubts.
AT
Alexander T.
The $20,000 Roof That Leaks: A Cautionary Tale of Incompetence and Lack of Ethics
Ah, the joys of homeownership. One small leak, and suddenly, you’re starring in a horror story—except the villain is a scammy contractor, your bank account is bleeding out, and your new roof comes with… holes.
Back in December 2024, after heavy SF rains, our living room sprung a leak. Enter Will of Biohazmat (license #957784), who assured us he’d handle it before our three-week holiday trip. Roof? Fixed. Ceiling? Restored. Peace of mind? Ha.
🚩 Red Flag #1: The Bathroom Diversion
First thing Will does? Opens the ceiling toward the bathroom, claiming it might be leaking. Despite my repeated explanations that the leak happened after rain, he was fishing for a more “profitable” issue. Eventually, he convinced me the entire roof needed replacing. The roof was old, so I hesitantly agreed. Terrible decision.
🚩 Red Flag #2: The Complaining Roofer
A day later, a roofer showed up to apply a quick patch—and immediately launched into a rant about how Will delays payments for weeks. When a worker trashes their own boss before work even starts, it’s a giant neon RUN sign. But I ignored it, preoccupied with holiday prep.
It was not fine.
🚩 Red Flag #3: The Disappearing Act
We left for the holidays. Work started in January. I set up cameras to monitor, but three days before our return, Will claimed the job was done and demanded full payment. I got some blurry photos but still saw workers moving around. Thinking they were wrapping up (bad assumption), I wired the money. Worse decision.
The Disaster Unfolds
Returning home, I climbed up to inspect.
Oh. My. God.
I’m no roofing expert, but even I know a new roof should not have holes. I asked my contractor neighbor and a few real roofers to inspect. Verdict? Total incompetence.
Some highlights: Material not heat-sealed—large sections could be peeled off by hand. Over-torched areas, making it brittle. Seals around pipes? Instead of proper flashing, they smeared mystery black goo. Chimney and wall edges? Uncapped—creating perfect water collection pockets. Drainages? Not sealed at all. Apparently, they expected water to avoid them out of sheer politeness.
At this point, my frustration had reached Olympic levels.
🚩 Red Flag #4: The “Fix” Was Worse
I confronted Will, who agreed to send Victor H—his “partner.”
Victor assured me he was licensed. Will assured me Victor was licensed.
He was not.
After some back and forth, Victor admitted the roof was beyond repair. And Will’s brilliant solution? Have Victor re-roof it.
When I asked about their system, total confusion. They claimed they’d heat-glue it but showed me cold-glue materials. At this point, I was done. I demanded Victor’s credentials. No response.
So I dug them up myself. License #1071828 = Suspended. No roofing license. His general contractor license? Revoked due to a lawsuit.
When I confronted Will again, we agreed to part ways—with a refund.
Guess what? That didn’t happen either.
And Then It Got Even Worse…
It’s been four weeks, and I’m still owed $9000. No payments. And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse—it did.
Before I could re-roof, one of the drainages leaked and flooded my baby’s room.
Final Score: Replaced a roof that probably didn’t need replacing. Got scammed out of $9000. Ended up with more damage than when I started. Flooded my kid’s room.
Lesson Learned (So You Don’t End Up Like Me): Check licenses & credentials. (Will had no roofing license.); Verify workers’ comp. (None—meaning liability is on you.); Never pay full price upfront. (Illegal in CA.); Never give more than a $1000 deposit. (Will took $3000—also illegal.); Background-check subcontractors. (Or you might end up with a Victor.)
