Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I've just had a roofer call to tell me my roof needs work

36 replies

Storytown · 15/12/2014 09:38

Apparently my chimney needs repointing.

I am always suspicious of these kind of calls and never agree to buy anything from anyone on the doorstep but this one was soooo polite.

He's young a roofer in working clothes but looked respectable, not too scruffy in his dress. Stood well back from the door, apologised for bothering me, spoke gently and said he hoped I didn't mind but he'd noticed....Then explained what was wrong in layman's but not patronising terms, offered to do the job for £150 but put no pressure on for me to agree to the job there and then. Just left a card.

I'll have a look at the chimney when I go out later but WIBU to give him this job and break my own rules about doorstep callers. I feel like he should be rewarded for doing such a professional job and putting himself out there looking for work.

How is £150 to repoint a chimney in the SE?

OP posts:
pudcat · 15/12/2014 09:41

I wouldn't. Get some quotes from known builders first.

Tinselmouse · 15/12/2014 09:41

I wouldn't use him. Take his card if you want to give him business, but get a few other people out to asses whether it needs re-pointing before letting someone who has just turned up at your doorstep, up on a ladder with full access to look into all your bedroom windows.

Festivelybereft · 15/12/2014 09:43

Be really careful.
It could be a door opener to more work or worse a scam.
Find someone who knows a bit and ask if they can see obvious repairs needed.
He could damage your roof and then charge loads to fix that.
'While I was up there I saw...'
YABU

Velocirapture · 15/12/2014 09:44

No. Don't do it. A decent roofer is busy and doesn't need to tout for work. He will probably find more that is "wrong" with your roof once he starts and the final bill will be waaaay more than £150.

MinceSpy · 15/12/2014 09:45

Sorry but it's a scam. Repointing is much more expensive and involves scaffolding and an inspection not a quick glance from below.

CwtchesAndCuddles · 15/12/2014 09:48

I've just had work done on my chimney by a builder friend - don't let just anyone up on your roof !!!! That price is way too cheap for it to be a proper job, a reputable roofer / builder wouldn't do the job without scaffolding and that alone would be more than £150......................

sanfairyanne · 15/12/2014 09:48

ok. keep his card. get 3 different opinions and quotes. if it does need doing, you can always give him a ring

personally i would run a mile!

Fullpleatherjacket · 15/12/2014 09:49

Get one or two reputable local roofers round to have a look and quote.

I wouldn't just give the work to some random presenting themselves on the doorstep on the off-chance.

GlaceCherries · 15/12/2014 09:49

We've just paid +£3k to have our chimney pots done - that included the cost of the scaffolding. No way could the work around the chimney be done just on a ladder. It was the most expensive of 3 quotes that we had (the middle quite let us down).

If your chimney needs work, please get some other quotes first.

NewEraNewMindset · 15/12/2014 09:50

Agreed. He will get up there and make himself more work and you will be out of pocket by £700 before you know it.

EWAB · 15/12/2014 09:51

I always say that the house is rented and they always leave sharpish.

Finola1step · 15/12/2014 09:57

SCAM!!

Tell your neighbours that you've had someone knocking so they don't fall for it.

It's a well known scamming trick. They go up on your roof and "find" other really, really serious problems that need sorting now. The bastards.

They also prey on older people. Another tactic is to do the job as described for the money quoted. They then use that job to then knock on other doors telling people "We did the work for so and so over the road. She's really pleased with it". Your neighbours then come and check with you and you are indeed pleased. Your neighbours then use the guys because of your confidence. Your neighbours then get ripped off. Happens all the time.

As someone posted upthread, any decent roofer, especially in the SE, does not need to go touting for work.

CON. CON. CON. Please listen.

TheBatteriesHaveRunOut · 15/12/2014 09:58

I think he needs work, not your chimney, and he thinks you can provide it for him.

Agree with everyone, get some quotes from local, recommended builders who are in the Federation of Master Builders/Roofers/some other professional body, and then make a decision. It might not need any work at all. £150 is a lot of money to spend on something that has caused you no problems at all.

I think you need a strategy for when he comes back (which he will) like 'we've just been hit by a massive car bill/I've been made redundant/we'll wait till Santa comes, say he's knackered the chimney, then claim on the house insurance but thankssomuchgoodbye.'

SaucyJack · 15/12/2014 09:59

Get another quote, but if it does need doing and he's happy to put the £150 in writing first why not give him the job?

He's quite possibly just looking for a way to earn some money. It's not a crime.

BlackbirdOnTheWire · 15/12/2014 10:09

He's talking bollocks.

Somebody was working on next door's roof (terraced) and we'd let them have access from our property, he told me by way of returning the favour that our roof was dodgy and showed me the photos he'd taken whilst up there. He gave an estimate of the cost we should expect, but also said he was booked solid for the next 6 months so we'd need to find someone else... The cost was more than £150 for a similar amount of work your OP suggests!

BlackbirdOnTheWire · 15/12/2014 10:11

(And yes, we knew the roof was dodgy - the leak was a bit of a giveaway Wink but it was good to have the pictures)

Nancy66 · 15/12/2014 10:12

I always wonder who falls for this....now I know

GoodKingQuintless · 15/12/2014 10:16

What Nancy said.

GoodKingQuintless · 15/12/2014 10:18

Just to add, my friend was that neighbour who got a scammer recommended from that one pleased customer. She ended up thousands out of pocket and wit s botched job half done.

monkeytroubles · 15/12/2014 10:30

I actually know an elderly gentleman who fell for this exact scam. Once they got up on his roof they "found" a lot more problems and insisted that it wasn't structurally safe to leave it so it had to be done immediately. They charged him an absolute fortune then turned up again a couple of months later and tried to persuade him to have his driveway, windows etc re-done and when he said he couldn't afford it they turned nasty.

Comito · 15/12/2014 10:49

No no no no no no. Just no. This is a con, pure and simple.

One of these guys knocked on my door a few months ago saying exactly the same thing. Unfortunately for him, we'd had the chimney repointed less than two months earlier so his spiel about it being dangerous was a total lie. I told him we'd already had it done, he tried to leave his card anyway so I just said thanks but no and closed the door.

Never ever trust a tradesman who touts for business by knocking on your door. The decent ones just don't need to do that.

Original poster
Storytown · 15/12/2014 10:53

Thank you I've got no intention of having it done - it was done less than 5 years ago!

He was very very good though, not at all aggressive like most of them are.

Who do I need to tell? My immediate neighbours, but is there anyone else/official? The card has no address, but unusually does have a landline number.

OP posts:
BuzzardBirdRoast · 15/12/2014 10:57

I would tell your neighbours (especially anyone vulnerable) and your local neighbourhood watch.

I know a lot of builders/roofers etc and not one of them would have the time to take on work on spec.

Nancy66 · 15/12/2014 11:04

eh? Your posts make no sense. In your first post you're talking about giving him the work because he seemed to nice and went out of his way to let you know there was a problem.

Now you say you know it doesn't need doing because you've already had it done.

Original poster
Storytown · 15/12/2014 11:06

I was putting myself in the shoes of my elderly neighbour who probably hasn't had any work done on his roof in years Nancy. And wondering what I need to do about it.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread