An hour and 20 minutes on hold to the insurance company

[PupInAPram]

Only to be told, find a roofer, get a quote, it will probably be less than your excess but I don't know, so let's not bother with a claim.
He did agree it would be covered though. 🙄 To be honest the lad at the other end sounded about 10 and he really didn't want to register the claim. I said, what if the roofer needs scaffolding and it's over the excess, he said well you can always come back to us. Sigh. Does anyone know how serious flashing coming away from the chimney is? Will it wait a couple of weeks? I'm a woman in her sixties living alone and working full time. I have no idea how to find a reputable roofer to get a quote. Online I guess?

Google "roofers in my area" OP.

Oh that’s not good. I was once on hold for 1 hour 50 minutes with an airline as they’d cancelled my flight and it said to call to rebook on an alternative one. 24h number.

I was told they didn’t process rebookings after 4pm or whatever time it was, and to call back in the morning. I hate calling any customer service number, you very rarely get the service you’re asking for.

Don't know how serious it is, but join your local NextDoor app and ask for recommendations.

I've done that and emailed a local one that is closed on the weekend. It has good reviews but not loads, so they might have written them all themselves 🤔 I'm struggling a bit at the moment anyway, so I think I just feel a bit overwhelmed.

Sorry, googled, not NextDoor app. I'll give that a try @titchy thank you.

You could ask around at work. That's how I got my plumber and he was fantastic.

@Piglet John will know OP.

I don't think it's a dire emergency, I had problems with lead flashing in a previous property and it didn't need emergency repairs.

The alternative is Checkatrade.
Ask a neighbour if you have any you feel comfortable about approaching.
It might be something a local builder can do.

@PigletJohn I mean.

To be honest, just starting a thread has made me feel better and calm down. So many folk on mumsnet with real problems that can't be fixed!

I wouldn't use the NextDoor app to find tradesmen, anyone can 'recommend' themselves, their cousin/best mate etc on there, you have no idea how good they might be. Our local one has a thread going which says beware of dodgy builders you get from NextDoor, several people chiming in saying they have been ripped off. It's a useful app for local info, but I wouldn't use it to find a trader.

Instead I would use a site like Checkatrade or others, they have a proper system of reviews etc. Or personal recommendations of course, from someone you trust.

Useful advice @Pemba, thank you.

@Pemba used Checkatrade, had a call, booked a roofer in for the end of the week to look at the job. Thanks for the advice. Mumsnetters are the best👍

If there is a local facebook group in your area that can be quite useful for recommendations.

@PupInAPram, you're welcome, hope it works out for you! I have used Checkatrade a few times and always been happy. (Well, one overcharged slightly I thought but as it was a tiny job anyway only totalling £50 I wasn't that bothered).

I just use it in the same way I'd check on TripAdvisor before going somewhere, check TrustPilot before ordering stuff, check sellers' feedback on eBay etc. Doesn't absolutely guarantee nothing will go wrong, but you can see if there are any red flags.

Worst case short term scenario, loose flashing will result in damp coming through on your chimney breast. Quote will depend on how accessible your chimney stack is. Some roofers work on ladders, others have special scaffold towers, others might need scaffold building.