We live in a time when we have learned not to trust much. For most people, the price of everything…read morehas increased, while wages have stayed the same. Saving for house repairs takes years, and borrowing takes even longer because of high interest rates. Most of us see a solicitor at our door and hide. That was almost me a couple months ago, when Alpha Storm Solutions knocked at my door. I had just replaced the plumbing in my basement, so I anticipated the company had something to do with basement water accumulation and thought it would be a short but polite, "No thanks; I just did what you're selling."
Not the case: Cristian reminded me about the hailstorm that had taken place in March and said if I'd let him check out my roof, he'd be able to tell if I sustained the kind of damage that would get me a new one, paid for by my insurance company. My initial thought was, "Yeah, right, sure," but I said, "Okay, go for it." About twenty minutes later, he came to the door and said, "You will probably qualify for a new roof; there are a lot of loose shingles up there, and the metal is all dinged." Then he showed me pictures. Not being a roofer, I didn't know if this was a big deal or not. I asked him, "What do I have to do?" He said, "Let's call your insurance company and file a claim." So, we did. At this point, I was certain the adjuster would come out and tell me the damage wasn't sufficient to warrant a new roof, or that only part of it was damaged and they'd replace part of it, and my deductible wouldn't even cover the work. I told Christian, "I'm not going to hold my breath."
A week later, my adjustor met Christian here, and they explored the roof together. When they came down, the insurance adjustor told me, "It may not look like it, but there was some heavy hail damage up there. I don't know if it came from the March storm, but since you have been insured with us for over fifteen years, I'm sure it happened in that time frame. We're going to give you a new roof on both the house and garage, new siding on the garage and new gutters on both. I should have the paperwork filled out in the next couple days, and Alpha will get started right away, if you want to."
I was dumbfounded.
Is there any catch, I asked? "Nope. This is why you have insurance, he responded.
I felt like I'd won a mini lottery. Christian proceeded to tell me the only out of pocket expense I'd pay is my deductible. "No way," I said. "What's the catch? Won't there be depreciation? My roof is over ten years old, and that aluminum siding on the garage has probably been here since the garage was built in the 70's."
"Alpha Solutions will only charge what the insurance estimates the job will cost to replace the roof, siding and gutters. You will pay your deductible."
My paranoia kicked in. "Will you put this in writing," I asked.
"The insurance company will send you an estimate of replacement. That will be your writing."
"And your company will eat the difference in the depreciation," I asked again.
"Yes." Cristian obviously understood my concern. It seemed too good to be true. Then I thought about my own job, upgrading fluorescent fixtures to LED in Chicagoland. The ComEd rebate incentive was so amazing, many people could use our turnkey services to completely install new, remove and recycle --in schools that had hundreds of fixtures--and pay less than ten thousand dollars for the whole job. The hardest part was getting the client to believe us.
I signed on the dotted line, praying all wound go well.
And it went PERFECTLY.
True to his word, Cristian and Alpha Solutions (and Cristian's Regional Manager Cordero) did EVERYTHING they said they would. As a professional writer, I love to tell this world when I experience honest business dealings, so I'm writing this testimonial. And I also want to say some other things:
1. Don't try to screw over your insurance company or Alpha and pocket the check. This isn't how it works. Alpha turned you on to this amazing opportunity. Give them the business.
2. If you are planning to take the check and run, please know this:
The job takes place in phases. You'll get one check for an initial amount, and as the job progresses, you'll get more checks, as Alpha submits invoices to your insurance company. In the case of my project, I received three separate checks. Don't try to stiff Alpha on the last one by decided you didn't like a, b or c. Just be straight up, and everything will go as promised. They did a great job!
3. Don't give Alpha a hard time if the job isn't complete in a week. I got nervous that my garage siding wasn't really going to end up being part of the deal, so I nagged Cristian and Cordero way too needlessly. It was also VERY RAINY in the last two months, and most contractors don't work in the rain, so cut them some slack. IT WILL GET DONE! They are doing a lot of jobs (which shows their integrity), and they will get to you as soon as they can. AND, you'll be glad they did.
4. Their people do
