I get this oversize postcard mailer address to resident in the mail today.
“ROOF REPAIR MDADE EASY
Providing Fast, Friendly & Efficeient Service Since 1979
Yu may be Entitled to a New Roof – AT NO COST
Insurance Claim Assistance”
Then the name Rayne Storm and 816-443-3082
I thought with a name like that if they had been business for 30 years I would have heard of them.
So I did some googling and found.
Rayne Storm Consulting.
Now that site opens up with that phone number.
But click on Contact and it gives a local address, not too far from me. But it shows a 702 252-3824 phone number.
I suspect that this is localized website by gettting the IP from the router that I am on. But they forget to change that page.
BTW, the 816 phone number comes back as a private residence.
Anyway the 702 phone number links to a Rayne Storm in Las Vegas.
http://www.relevantyellow.com/profiles/5030
And under sales help this have this.
“SALES OPPORTUNITIES
2008 has proven to be an excellent year to get started in storm damage sales with ample opportunity for huge commission checks. Whether you’re a seasoned storm damage sales professional, an insurance adjuster looking for extra income, or just a rookie looking for a profitable alternative to the rat race, we’ve got the career for you.
Our system set itself apart in the marketplace by creating a professional work environment, generating quality leads, and providing you the training and information you need to know to maximize your income. The sky’s the limit!”
And this;
http://www.raynestormco.com/contractors.htm
“CONTRACTORS
The hail stones pounded and the wind gusted. The phones are ringing like crazy and you business is backed up for months, maybe years. You’re wondering how you will ever get all this work done and wishing you could do even more. Now you can, with the help of Rayne-Storm Consulting, LLC.
Get excited about the explosive tools Rayne-Storm is going to bring to the table to help improve all aspects of you business. We combine your company’s name and established reputation with our team of seasoned professionals to allow your business to grow like never before.
In a major hailstorm situation, we have helped companies just like yours to sell, complete and profit from thousands of jobs that would have otherwise gone to your competitors. Call Rayne-Storm Consulting, LLC at (816) 443-3082.”
I also found a place where they where advertising for salemen in several states.
I have not figured exactly what they are upto. franchising a way to market roofing to HO’s and/or they are trying to get sales and then have sub’s to do the work.
But they are using their name so it is not the classical storm chasers where they use local companies names.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Replies
"Anyway the 702 phone number links to a Rayne Storm in Las Vegas."
Certainly a cleaver name.
I did a little job ($150) for guy in his house here in Dallas area. His wife was still in Florida. The guy's assistant was the only contact I had, other than caller ID. I agreed to let them mail me the check. I waited and waited and waited. Sent invoice via snail mail and email plus phone calls none of which were returned. Finally sent invoices via snail mail to local address, Florida address (courtesy of the appraisal district online records of owners' mailing address) AND to his office (courtesy of the caller ID).
That resulted in a call from the guys other assistant, "seems we have a problem with a payment?"
Had a check via fedex at my door by 10 am the next day.
All that to say: The check was from a consulting business with a Vegas address. I googled that address and got something close to 1700 corporations listing that same address. Certainly due to Nevada laws being corporate friendly, like Deleware.
I'm still not sure what the consulting biz did but got paid.
Six months later the guy's wife called for another little job to rework a cabinet for a newer big screen. That went well, got a 50% deposit up front. Currently looking a building some builtins for their new McMansion a little further north.
franchising a way to market roofing to HO's and/or they are trying to get sales and then have sub's to do the work.
We combine your company's name and established reputation with our team of seasoned professionals to allow your business to grow like never before.
Just been dealing with that here. There's several outfits like this. They will lease your company name if you have a yellow page add and are in good standing with the BBB. They roll into town and change the names on their vehicles to "HARTMAN'S ROOFING-Serving KC since 1966". They'll lease out 3-4 companies in one city.
They have insurance adjusters attached to them that condemn every roof they get called to look at whether it's damaged or not. I bet you'll find a ball peen hammer in every one of their vehicles.
Then they go to the local XYZ Supply and promise to buy 10,000 squares of Owens Corning shingles in the next 6 months for a dollar a square more than ABC pays for them, but this gets XYZ rebates on every OC shingle they sell, so they make more when they sell to some one like me for full price.
So then the high pressure sales guys hit the threshold. "Your roof is badly damaged and you need to act quickly before it starts to leak".
The insurance adjuster has referred all three of the "leased companies" so the bids come in about $50 apart. No real local compay can get that low, because they're paying full price for their materials and they're gonna try to be around a year from now honoring their warranties. Exactly one year from the time these guys hit town, they are suddenly gone.
So, the HO hires one of these outfits and 15 mexicans show up. They do one ranch house by lunch and another one after and if there's no chance of rain, they'll tear the 3rd one off. I noticed that they seldom tried to get anything that needed roof jacks. If it wasn't walkable, they bid pretty high.
Most of these outfits are giving 10 year warranties, which looks impressive against the real locals usual one year warranty. I wonder if the original company is stuck with that after they pack up and leave. I hope so, 'cause there was some pretty crappy work done around here by those outfits.
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Grant- that is a pretty good summaryalthough here, 1 story walkable roofs are in short supply.I was incredulous to see mexican crews working 10/12 and 12/12 pitches with zero scaffolding--- couch cushions only---no harness the storm we had6-8-07-- had the storm chasers in town--and mostly gone by december 07.
A great many folks have worse NEW roofs- than the older ones they had torn off.
the ball pein hammer line made me laugh----because if I never climb up on a roof again and find a blue chalk circle drawn around a dozen obvious hammer tracks it will be too soon!
stephen
crews working 10/12 and 12/12 pitches with zero scaffolding--- couch cushions only---no harness
So why don't you call OSHA or the BI when you see that?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
So why don't you call OSHA or the BI when you see that?
OSHA office is 30 miles away. By the time you call and they respond, these guys are miles away on the next house.
The BI doesn't enter into it.View Image
why on earth would I call osha Or the building inspector?1)-- roofing work in my city does not require a permit, nor is it inspected-- inspector doesn't enter into it
2) as far as osha goes---why on earth would I call them????
it's certainley not my responsibility to police somebody elses job site. the way i figure it--the homeowner could very well have contracted with me-or one of several other local contractors---we are reasonably well known-- and a great many people did just that.that they chose to go with one of the storm chasing fly-by-nights---well the homeowner deserves what they get.
I feel my resposibility is to do my absolute best for the customers who entrusted their homes to my care---the ones who went with a stormchaser---well the best I can do is wish them good luck.I will start a project in about a week for a customer who has been waiting 15 months for me to do his roof. I first did his roof over 10 years ago--and i am still here.- I will STILL be here 10 years from now. taking care of customers like that--is the best i can do.
Best wishes, stephen
Couple of thoughts ...
well the homeowner deserves what they get. How does the HO know they are dealing with a fly by night outfit? I would venture to say most HO's only buy 2 roofs in their lifetime. They (the HO) has no experience in this line of work, and gets a real sales job from the company. A lot of big promises, glossy pictures from "past jobs". And, the best part ... a low price.
it's certainley not my responsibility to police somebody elses job site. No, but if the fly by night roofer gets enough oversight from the authorities, maybe they will leave town and let the long-term roofers take care of their neighbors."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
those are both excellent points Fast Eddiebut I had to deal with the realities of the situation.
i have talked about this several times on breaktime---and a few other guys on breaktime who have been through similar situations know what i meanI have worked the same place my entireworking life--basically about a 12 block radius(primarily)we had a hail storm 6-8-07--my 12 block radius was ground zero for that storm--though it radiated out to the south and east from here.
i have been working this neighborhood for 20 plus years--------and seemingly every house homeowner i had ever worked for--- now needed their roof inspected--and potentially replaced. BEFORE the hail storm I was already scheduling projects for sept.so last year--from about june 8th on-- i got up at 5:00----did paper work untill light-------then worked rooftop from 7:30 until 2 or 3----and then did free inspections for the neighborhood untill dark. when I would get home------typically there would be 14-15 calls from more people that need inspections( free)Keeping in mind that these are my family,friends, neighbors-my community-- i am not gonna charge them to look at there roof and offer my opinion---but I did feel obligated to in fact LOOK at their situation.there simply was/is no time to play OSHA watchdog-even if I had the inclination.
my wife and I discussed it 6-8-07
and I decided to do the best I could to take care of my community as well as I could---even if it cost me$$$$$---after all, these were the people who put food on my table for 20 plus years--who ,in effect funded my retirement accounts, who sent my kids to private schools etc.----I feel I owed them.financially- i did OK out of it---but nothing remotely worth the work and incredible stress involved------ancd certainley nothing remotely near what some of the folks here figure i earned---but that's OK also.
It's pretty much over with now-- and in my heart i know i did the right thing as best I personally could.
but-- there is a limmit to how much I can do Hey-wanna hear something funny-that will illustrate what a total sap I am??????out of all those roofs i climbed on to inspect last year---all those family,friends, neighbors etc. from the neighborhood that my wife and I felt obligated to try to help( hundreds of them)how many of them offered me as much as a glass of water when I came to their home?sunburned, dehydrated ,exhausted--working a 15 or 16 hour day, most of it for free?
less than 5
less than 3
TWO people-preciseley.would i do it again?---yes- I would still feel the obligation---but i would certailey do it differently.Stephen
That is what I thought. But if that was the case they would send out flyers under the name of the listed companies.And one way I read the contractor section it appears that they want to sub for contractors, other place it is more like you say.Now they might be sending this out as a last minute attempt to get leads before they leave. But our big storm was about 3 months ago. Although I got some pea size hail the day before..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I am wondering if you try the website what phone number comes up.http://www.raynestormco.com/Website can "localize" site to respond differenetly based on the location that you connect to the internet from.You can see this by doing a google on things like plumbers, remodeling, house painting, roofers and some of the ads, more like on the right with be local companies. And some are national referal companies, but will show the local city name in the listing.Although a couple are messed up. Got to adds from companies in California.Since they seem to be "based" in LV I am wondering if there are other operations around the country or if maybe they have moved here permantely..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I'm just outside of DC, but I get the same two numbers you do.I don't see anything in the code on that site that would be pulling localized numbers depending on the source IP. And from the sheer cheesiness of the site I doubt they would have gone to the expense to do so.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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one way I read the contractor section it appears that they want to sub for contractors, other place it is more like you say.
They've got a number of different angles that they can work it from. My reply was an "in a nutshell" response.
The bottom line is that they come into storm damaged areas, do lots of work real fast until it starts to dry up and then leave without honoring their warrantees or leave someone else holding the bag. I could lower my prices 15%-20% if we never had a warrantee issue and even more if I paid my help $100/day tax free for a 12 hour day and still put more in my pocket. View Image
I checked in they are registerd as a forgien corp in MO as of Jan, 07 and regsisted in NV in 5/1/06.But I see that the registered name is RAYNE-STORM CO., LLCNo Consulting in the name.Using Rayne-Storm CO I found a building permit for a reroofing in Sherberne MN. A business records listing (one where they want to sell you information) for one in Gainsvile and Irving, TX. And a yellow pages ad in Columbia, MO..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.