I don't often give reviews and when I do I hardly ever give totally negative ones, mostly because most people who provide services or goods (the subject of most dealings between strangers) are fundamentally straight forward and guileless and if the transaction does not work out as expected it wasn't because it was planned that way. This is one of the exceptions. Recently when we experienced some very heavy wind driven rain, a water leak appeared in the ceiling of a room in our quite new house on Winnipesaukee. Because the room is near the chimney and at the end of a dormer, I suspected that the problem might be the flashing. I used Angi to try to locate a roofer in the area and got several prospects. I looked at the reviews and one that looked good was Paragon Roofing. On its website it says "your roof is essential to your building's overall defense against the elements. You need a roofing company who knows how to properly...repair any kind of roof. Customers rely on us... because WE HAVE 23 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE; WE'RE FAMILY-OWNED AND -OPERATED; WE OFFER AFFORDABLE PRICES, DISCOUNTS AND FREE ESTIMATES; WE CARE ABOUT AND TAKE CARE OF OUR COMMUNITY." HOME ADVISER (powered by ANGI) says they are "100% Recommended" that "Small Jobs Welcome" and that "free estimates and credit cards accepted." On their Facebook page Paragon says "Paragon Roofing LLC is with Nicholas Stanley and Megan K. Stanley...Voted #1 Roofing Company in the Lakes Region!"
So they looked good. I called and Nick, the owner, came to my home. He didn't bring a ladder but borrowed one that I have (which is a telescoping design and is hardly intended for this kind of use) but he used it to get onto the porch roof and from there on to the house roof. He maneuvered around up there and came down to tell me that the flashing was not properly made and needed to be repaired and it would cost $1,200.00. I questioned this and he went back up and took pictures and showed them to me on his phone pointing out things he said were wrong. It seemed high but who was I to say because I was not going to go up and work. I asked what was next and he said he would send me an invoice which he did only after I called several times and talked to Megan, I believe. I never got the finished invoice and never signed it. As this home is a second home we came up here a few days ago and while here, Nick called and said he had a crew in the area and they would come the next day. Yesterday, two people showed up and, without letting me know that they were here, went up on the roof. One of my pets saw them and let me know that they were here. I went out and a young woman was going up a ladder at the front of the house with a caulking gun and several tubes of what appeared to be caulk. She brought these to the man on the roof. About 10 minutes later the man came down and told me he was done. I asked if all he did was caulk and he said "yes." He was clearly embarrassed. They had been here for about 20 minutes. He told me that he had been hired by Paragon and was told specifically to just caulk, nothing else. He showed me a text from Nick that said that. I asked if this was a permanent repair and he said it sealed the openings, again clearly uncomfortably. When I asked him if it would last till December, he said yes. When I asked if it would last a year he said maybe. I asked about the price and he said I had to talk to Nick, so I called him and told him I would not pay $1,200.00 for a 20 minute caulk job but I would pay $300.00 because I would not go up there to do that work myself because I am too old to get up on roofs. Nick insisted that I pay the $1,200. I told him that was not going to happen and he said $600-he had all these expenses: the visit for the estimate, (which is supposed to be free) his hiring the person who did the work (I understood that his company was to do the work), my talking to Megan who he pays (who I believe to be his wife). I told him $400 and he said $500, which is what I paid.
At $500, the hourly rate is $1,500 per hour. At $1,200 the hourly rate is $3,600 per hour. And I will likely have to have the work done correctly in the not too distant future. The one thing I want to be absolutely clear about is the gentleman who Nick hired was just that: a gentleman who was obviously embarrassed about what he was told to do by Nick.
If you need a roof repair don't use these guys. I believe that what Paragon did was unfair and deceptive which under New Hampshire law is unlawful. See CHAPTER 358-A REGULATION OF BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION Section 358-A:2 1Acts Unlawful. - It shall be unlawful for any person to use any unfair method of competition or any unfair or deceptive act or practice in the conduct of any trade or commerce within this state. read more
