Precision Roof Contractors, Inc. Hold onto your money! Huntsville, Alabama

 Im asking you to remove kal barber from this complaint...my husband did not get paid for your jobs or most of his...got completely screwed just like you did..none of you will ever see that money but dont throw him under the bus like that he wasnt the owner or the one responsible for cutting your checks!

I work as a roofing salesman and have had many similar experiences. Most roofing contractors with a sales driven business model are masters of deception. They exploit your nievete and prey upon the inexperience of newbies. If your compensation is based upon a split of the jobs profits, they artificially inflate job costs to reduce your commission. These companies are sales driven, not production driven in their focus. They leave a trail of exploited people in their wake. They are sociopathic companies who have little regard for anyone or anything other than making a fast buck. They are disorganized, provide poor training, do not adhere or even have processes in place for production, they commit insurance fraud by grinding insurance companies for every dime and installing underspecified roofs. They will challenge good hearted folks to live up to their word, especially when they know that you endeavor to be honest and fair in your dealings. They will steal from you and manipulate you emotionally to feel as though you owe them something or have impuned their character. Even though this industry is profitable, their greed is insatiable, they just can't exploit you enough.

These contractors have no long tervm strategic approach, they don't care about customer goodwill, training, or staff retention. They dont invest in the infrastruct of their company, so everyone around them is victimized by their lack of proactivity, their lives are governed by panic management. No system for anything, just flying by the seat of the seat of your pants. I used to do consulting eith these types, their response to any systematic integration is we aint Microsoft, we aint corporate America. Some of the worst operators you will ever encounter. The real fun starts when it's time to "cap out your jobs." Your hard work is rewarded with high production costs, lower commissions, and the burden of proof to get paid accurately is all on you. I'm screwing you, but can you prove it? And if you can prove it, can I cover my tracks and hide the truth, while I try to make you feel guilty and paranoid for questioning my credibility. Real cat and mouse game. I developed a best practices guide to help newbies. It's sad, great business with an excellent income potential.Last year I brokered contracts to several roofing contractors. To minimize my admin time when it's payday, I told them that I've decided to avoid frustrating cat n mouse time wasting. Check your production numbers carefully before submitting them to me. If I see numerous attempts to exploit me, you can go play cat and mouse with attorneys and a judge. Real time saver. Also, I'm going to check everyones files just to make sure all that chimney flashing got replaced. Frankly, most of these guys are scum, and I won't waste my time with them.

Hello Mrs. C,

The lien has been removed from your property, so your home is fine. I understand your being upset, but let me explain if I may.

1. I am sorry that you see me as the villain in this story. I have two children I am trying to take care of, and I was fighting for them.

2. My address is correct and I have nothing to hide. No one, including you, tried to make contact with me.

3. Precision owed me  money which I really needed and I did my job.

4. I never told you I was an employee. None of the people in the field are. My job was to sign you up and I did that.

5. I left for a better job, for which I am thankful. I am finally getting paid for my services.

6. The lien was not "illegal" and it would have expired in six months because I had no intention of perfecting it. Because I had no money, my options were limited. I tried to work it out with the owner but he refused my attempts to settle the issue. I told the manager in Huntsville that I was going to move the situation to the next level because they ignored me.

7. I do not consider myself vengeful and spiteful. Nor am I selfish. I signed up several roof jobs for which I recieved nothing. Including your job. I helped Precision get work and I was not paid. I grant you that it had nothing to do with you. My family has suffered because I have struggled to meet my obligations.

8. I am glad that you got your roof and I hope you understand that I helped to make it happen. I just don't think I was treated fairly.

9. Anyway, your roof is on and I am sorry if I caused you grief. You were not to blame but I did what I did for my children and my need for justice, which I did not get.

It's too bad that I just discovered this site, about a month too late.  Precision Roofing installed a roof on our home this summer (June 2010).  The "disgruntled employee", Chris Bakke (aka Christian Brakke), came into our home to discuss the contract and to call our insurance company about payment for the hail damage claim. 

At the time, we thought he was an employee of Precision Roofing.  We did not know he was a "subcontractor" as he states.  We never saw him after that point. 

Other employees took care of making sure the roof was installed.  We assumed that his job was done and did not know that he was no longer an employee (or subcontractor?) with the company.  We do not know if he quit or was fired.

We made all payments in a timely manner to Precision Roofing and owed nothing.

A few weeks after the roof was finished, we received a notice from Mr. Bakke that he had filed a lien against our home with the Probate Court office.  The lien amount was $750.00.  The name listed on the lien  is Christian E. Brakke. However, he did not sign his name, only 3 scribbles that may be his initials. 

He listed an apartment as his address which is very convenient for him since that is not his actual residence.  I have tried to find a phone number where I could contact him but cannot locate one.  He refuses to contact any of the homeowners who are involved in this. 

We will not be able to refinance or sell our house until he decides to remove the lien.  He also filed liens against three other families, the last time I checked.  I did some research and found out that the lien was filed illegally. 

I called the Probate Court office at the Huntsville, Alabama courthouse and they said that they do not check the validity of liens.  They just take the person's word for it.  I asked how I could have it removed and they said that we would have to get a lawyer. 

The nicest thing I can say about Chris Bakke, the "disgruntled employee", is that he is a spiteful, selfish person.  I'm actually thinking a lot worse but probably shouldn't say it. If I had known what kind of person he was, I never would have invited him into my home. 

He is willing to take out his anger on people who had nothing to do with his situation.  Now we will have to spend money on a lawyer to have the lien removed and to file a suit against Mr. Bakke for legal expenses. 

I would advise anyone who is considering hiring Chris Bakke to reconsider.  He will do anything for vengeance.

Anita C

I wish to thank the CFO for clarifying all of these issues that I have had with this company. I really do appreciate the update because as Scott has admitted, they have cut off all communication with me, so this forum is the only one that I have to get my updates.

I had to read Scotts response two or three times to really understand what he was trying to say. If I may, let me please address his points as he did. This may take a while.

1. As far as my hiding behind this website my true identity, I was following the protocol and recommendation to use a "handle", because companies sometimes try to threaten retribution, as I believe Scott has, to the users here for telling their story. If you read the site owners story you will find that he has been sued many times by companies trying to get the identities of people here and so far the first amendment which protects speech has been upheld, and they have been unable to get him to reveal users names. So I stand with that.

2. Having said that, I believe I put enough detail into my story to make it obvious who I was. So much so that I made my initial post late on a Sunday night. The following Monday morning at 7 am my phone rang. It was Joey the owner. He knew exactly who had written this and he had no problem getting me on the phone. So I hardly believe Scott's assertion that I am "hiding". They know me and they called me.

3. As far as retractions, I think my additional updates show that I am a reasonable man and I am willing to correct things when I am wrong or I get new information. I have done that when warranted. If I had to start this over, I would not have cast personal attacks on Joey. I agree that was uncalled for. I even told Joey that I was sorry about that. I was mad and my emotions were running high. However, nothing I have said here was untrue. I have not told any lies. I may have been angry and emotional but every fact that I assert is true to the best of my knowledge.

4. Point in fact. I now have enough finished and closed jobs to exceed the $50,000.00 sales target. I have for some time now. But I am not getting paid. Scott goes into great detail to explain Precisions commission policies. I never saw a written copy of said policies. How can I know when it was neither explained or shown to me. Joey told me that a former sales manager named Jim had promised this bonus structure without his knowledge but that he was going to honor it. On one hand I have Scott explaining his policies and on the other Joey did not know about it.

5. Scott states that I have forfeited all of my commissions because I wrote this report and because I did not help collect the final checks. As he correctly states, I left the company for another job. A full time job that takes all of my time and involves frequent trips down to Birmingham. At one of my conversations with Kal, I told him I would be happy to help with the jobs if I could. I even picked up a check from a customer and turned it in. I was aware that Kal had picked up two other checks. Based on my prior history with getting paid by Precision, I assumed I would see a paycheck the next Friday. I believe this was on a Thursday. I texted Kal on Friday to check on the other checks and recieved no response. I finally called on Sunday and Kal said he would call back. A lack of communication can lead to problems. Nature abhors a vacuum. I went in on Monday and Kal then informed me that I would only get paid on completed jobs. This was never the case. It was never expained to me that my paychecks were draws. I was told from day one by Paul, the former manager, that when I turned in a check, I would get a check. That was all I was told. I worked three months under that rule, and I have the pay sheets to prove it. I have a paper trail to show that this was how they paid. So I was somewhat shocked and disappointed to find out about these new rules, at least new to me. I did not tell Kal " good luck on getting paid", I simply said good luck because I can't work for free. Once again, I have another job, and I can't go the assumption that I will get paid someday when the job closes. So I left.

6. I never said in my post that it was company policy to pick up checks to make payroll. Read it again. I said that we were told this one time because the company had a cash flow problem that week. I heard that one time only.

7. On the insurance issue, it may be true that they were switching carriers. I was only a man in the field. I know that during the month of May, we were giving out packages with a copy of a policy that expired April 25. It is true that I did not call Joey. But in Scotts own words, I reported to the local manager and had very little contact with Joey or the people in Atlanta. I know that we asked Paul and we were told that it was being handled. Well, I know of at least one client we lost because he questioned the fact that we were giving out expired certificates. Another client noticed it and I was able to assure them that we were covered. Once again these may be temporary glitch's. But can you see it from my point of view? I was just a guy on the bottom. Once again Joey nor Scott were very accessable. I refer you back to Scott's comment that my only correct statement was that neither he nor Joey will respond to my calls and e-mails.

8. On the office personnel issue, I am going by what manager Paul said in February when I joined. He stated that when we sold the first job, the funds had been allotted to hire an office girl, who was standing by. That is what we we were told, and it never happened. We were also told that some advertising was forthcoming, but that has just now started.

9. Which brings me to my next point. Scott states that the Huntsville office was opened in July 2009. Maybe it was. I don't know. The local Huntsville BBB has the local business start date as September 2009. Paul had said that the office had been closed before February 2010, when he was hired. I once again recall him stating that a girl would be hired as soon as the first job was sold. I believe that they had not installed a roof before February 2010 in the Huntsville area. I believe that I sold the second or third job in this market after I joined. I know that when I sold my first job, the client wanted to see some of our jobs. We had none to show. We were installing our first job I think as I was making my first sale. I state this not to cast aspersions or to be malicious or tarnish Precisions reputation. I am just trying to set the record straight. With the information I have.

10. Scott states that they had every intention of paying me before I wrote this report. He states that I forfeited my commisions because of this. Read his words. So is the policy that we pay you as long as we like you? And if you make us mad, we don't pay you? I almost could not believe it when I read it. They are capricious and arbitrary in their commission policies. Scott states that they have incurred additional expense in collecting on my jobs. But he also states that the manager is not going to recieve any additional compensation for closing out my jobs. Once again, read his words. So what is it? Is the manager closing out my jobs for free, as I am? No libel or slander, but where is the additional expense? The sales people are independent contractors. They recieve no salary, no benefits, no expenses, nothing. They, same as me, only get paid when a check comes in. If no one is getting paid on my jobs, what extra expense is incurred. Please tell me if I am missing something here.

11. Scott incorrectly asserts that I am trying to extort money from them for a retraction. This is laughable. I can read too Scott. I and the world know that posts cannot be removed. It is clearly stated on this web site. Do you think that I am so dumb to think that you and Joey would not know that? You go on to say this as if you are informing the readers of something that they do not know. Joey had asked me to remove this and I called him back to say that it could not be removed. I did tell him that I would be happy to update the post with a positive post if we could resolve this. This would have been added like all of these updates are. I did not wish it to go this far.

12. Also, I never left the company because I never joined the company. I was an independent sub contractor who gets a 1099, just like the men who install the roofs. My only reponsibility as it was explained to me was to get signatures on contracts and to get them approved by the insurance companies. This I did. You cannot deny that you have profited from my initiative. You have made money on jobs that I got you but now you refuse to pay me what you agreed to. You say this is fair because I made you angry with my posting on this web site. I would have helped you all that I could have if you had been fair. That is all that I asked. You do not want to do that. I am sure that deep down you understand that nothing happens in this business without sales. I hope you don't think that people signed with me because of your company. There are plenty of roofing companies in Huntsville. When I worked here there was no marketing or advertising. No one had heard of Precision. I was good because people liked and trusted me. I could have sold roofs for anybody, by just changing my shirt and passing out a different package. The clients bought from me, not you or Joey. You have made your money, so please pay me.

13. Finally, Scott makes some thinly veiled threats to me that he will take legal action against me if I continue. I swear that everything I have written here is true, so help me God. I am not afraid to tell the truth. I want justice because I have children to feed. I want what was promised to me. I am sorry if I made my initial post personal. I am not trying to slander or tarnish Precision. I would have worked with them, but the communication has apparently broken down, so I am forced to tell my story here. I welcome any forum that Scott desires to tell the truth.

Precision Roof Contractors, Inc. is a national storm management company.  We are incorporated in Louisiana and currently have regional storm management offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina.  We provide insurance restoration services to thousands of homeowners each year throughout the Southeastern United States.

This posting on "Rip-off Reports" is from a disgruntled salesperson in our Huntsville, Alabama regional office.  This posting is nothing more than a malicious and libelous attempt to tarnish, destroy, or defame the reputation of Precision Roof Contractors, Inc.  This letter will address each paragraph included in the original posting made by the disgruntled salesperson.

The location in Huntsville was opened in July 2009 after we saw a need to provide our services in that area.  A typical regional office is staffed by a manager and his sales staff.  All clerical, receptionist, secretarial, and bookkeeping services are performed at our corporate offices.  Therefore, clerical office staff in the Huntsville office as referred to by the disgruntled salesperson were not needed nor authorized by our corporate management.  The disgruntled salesperson has attacked the character of our corporate CEO "Joey" by stating that he is a "lame excuse for a boss" and "a do nothing liar."  However, this salesman answered directly to the local regional manger and did not have daily or even weekly contact with our CEO or any other member of our corporate management team.  Therefore, his statements are baseless and nothing more than an attempted attack on the reputation of our corporation and its management.

The disgruntled salesperson mentions a performance bonus that he has not received.  This statement is probably the only correct and accurate statement that the disgruntled salesperson included in his posting.  At the time that the disgruntled salesperson worked for our corporation, we did offer a bonus plan.  The qualifications for the bonus were very clear and never changed.  The disgruntled salesperson needed to hit $50,000 in sales in order to qualify.  A sale is considered a job that is completed and paid in full by the homeowner.  Several outstanding balances exist on the jobs sold by the disgruntled salesperson.  Until those jobs are collected in full, the disgruntled salesperson is not entitled to commission pay or bonus pay on those jobs.  Unfortunately for the disgruntled salesperson, he has refused to assist us in collecting the final payments on the outstanding jobs.  Therefore, we have been forced to use other salespeople and resources that cause our company to incur additional job related costs.  Our commission policy requires salespeople to see each job through to completion including collection of all balances due to the company in order to qualify for a commission.  Since the disgruntled salesperson has refused to help or assist us with the collection process on his sales, he has forfeited the right to receive future commissions as per our commission structure and corporate policies.

Our new manager is not and will not receive any additional compensation for closing out any of these jobs.  Additionally, the comments made by the disgruntled salesperson related to our manager are malicious, baseless, libelous, and made out of anger as evidenced by the rebuttal posted by the disgruntled salesperson.

As for issues with insurance, this again is nothing more than an attack and misinformation being published by this disgruntled salesperson.  We carry workers' compensation and general liability insurance on each of our offices.  The disgruntled salesperson has taken the fact that when our then current insurance policies came up for renewal, we chose to switch carriers.  The new carrier information was provided to our regional manager who was responsible for disseminating the policy information to his sales staff.  At no time did the disgruntled salesperson call our corporate offices to inquire about the change in insurance carriers or his perceived lack of coverage.  As for the local Better Business Bureau, the North Alabama BBB has chosen to adopt a requirement that we feel is unfair and restrictive.  This policy requires that storm related companies must have a physical location in the area for 1 year in order to qualify for accreditation.  We feel this practice is unfair and restricts fair trade in that area.  It is not a policy followed or condoned by other regional BBB offices.  Therefore, in protest, we have chosen not to be a member of the North Alabama BBB.  However, regardless of our membership status, the BBB maintains complaint histories against all companies in their area.  Our on-line profile clearly shows no job related complaints against our company and our ranking is due solely to the length of time located in that region.

The disgruntled salesperson claims that checks must be picked up by Friday to cover payroll is again a misleading and malicious attempt to hurt our corporation.  Our current payroll structure requires payments from customers to be deposited by the end of business hours on Friday in order for the salesperson to receive a commission the following Friday.  Therefore, each salesperson and manager pushes to collect as many payments as possible by the end of the week so that their commission checks will be higher the following week.  In this aspect, the local manager will push his salespeople to collect as much as possible to cover commissions paid the following week.

Furthermore, our current commission structure allows current salespeople to receive an advance on commissions each time a check is collected on their sales.  In order to qualify for an advance, the salesperson must be actively working for our company.  This disgruntled salesperson is upset because we refused to advance money to him after he gave us notification of his separation from our company.  As stated above, advances are for current, active salespeople and he had terminated his status with us.  Upon notification that he would not receive an advance from us, the disgruntled salesperson told us that he was done with us and would not help us collect his remaining outstanding balances.  His final words were "good luck collecting the rest of your money."  Those comments, in accordance with our commission structure, resulted in a forfeiture of the right to receive any commission payments related to the outstanding balances owed on the jobs he sold.  Until the disgruntled salesperson made the comments above, we had full intention of paying him the entire commission and bonus on each job he sold.  However, his refusal to help us with the final collections has cost him the right to receive those commissions.  He left those jobs in an incomplete status with outstanding balances.

The disgruntled salesperson has stated in his most recent post that he has made repeated attempts to call and email Joey and Scott and that we refuse to answer his calls.  He is correct.  He posted comments to the "Rip-off Reports" in an attempt to tarnish, destroy, or defame our corporation and is now trying to extort a retraction from us.  In exchange for a retraction of his statements, the disgruntled salesperson wants us to pay him commissions on the outstanding jobs.  We will not allow this disgruntled salesperson to trade a retraction of his statements for payment of a commission that he is not entitled to receive.

Finally, the policy of the "Rip-off Reports" is to never remove comments or complaints posted on their site even if shown to be inaccurate and in this case malicious.  Therefore, this posting should serve as notice to the disgruntled salesperson that any further postings on this site that are not full retractions of his previous comments will be deemed by our corporation to be further malicious and libelous attempts to tarnish, destroy, or defame our reputation and will result in legal action against the disgruntled salesperson.

Unlike the disgruntled salesperson, we will not hide behind the anonymity provided by this website.  He posted his name as "rocketman" in order to conceal his true identity and gave no contact information.  My name is Scott Carlton and I am the Chief Financial Officer for Precision Roof Contractors, Inc.  Our corporate website is www.prcroof.com and I can be contacted at roofpro@prcroof.com. oH

 

I have had two conversations with owner Joey Messina where I was assured that I had misunderstood Precisions policies (unwritten), and that he has "always paid his salespeople". I was told that as soon as the jobs closed out I would receive my money. I said OK and thought that this could be worked out. I have found out that one large job was closed out and I DID NOT get paid. I have made repeated attempts to call and E-mail Joey. I have also called and E-mailed his partner Scott Carlton. I have spoken to local manager Kal Barber. Owners Joey and Scott refuse to answer my calls and E- mails. One of Joeys complaints to me was that I should have called him before I put this post on the web. I thought that maybe I had jumped the gun. I suppose my instinct was right after all. Always follow your gut and you will be right. I have tried to be reasonable and to resolve this like a gentleman. But they will not pay me as they agreed to and they will not communicate with me. Let it be known that I wanted to settle this but they ignored my attempts to come to an agreement.

I would like to update this report. I was incorrect when I said Joey had a boat. He does not. Also I have found out that Precision does now have a local BBB report. They have taken care of that.

I would like it to be known that I spoke out of anger regarding the manager Kal Barber. He is not responsible for the situation at this company and it is not his fault. I wish to apologize to Kal for attacking his character and his politics. As far as I know, Kal is OK. I do not have any first hand knowledge about him and his politics so I was incorrect in judging him.