American Roofing Systems Took on a roofing job and didn't do it right. As per contract. Foster City, California

American Roofing Systems Inc. Foster City Ca.

On 5/07/2004 my wife and I had talked to a man that was in the area putting flyers on doors for a roofing company, ARS Inc. I have just lost my job because of an accident I had and was put on disability, So we decided that we needed to have our shake roof replaced our refurbished knowing that money would be tight because of my disability but we had a little in savings and the roof did need work and I wasnt sure if we could afford it down the road. So we had a man from ARS Inc come over to talk about our roof My wife liked the looks of the shakes but I was leaning toward a new comp roof. The salesman told us that he would have a guy come by to inspect our roof in a few days. And a guy did come by and looked at the roof and said that the salesman would be back out to see us. In a day or two he showed up and set down with us, He said that he had some good news and some bad news, the bad news is that our roof was in real bad shape. The good news is that they could save it but that our roof needed about two thirds of the shakes replaced. I then told him that I was with the impression that insurance companies where no longer insuring homes with shake roof, He then told me that his company hired a chemist to come up with a product that would make our roof bright red again and fire retardant and that they where the only company that has this. He then took a small piece of shake out of his case and a small propane torch and tried to set it on fire it didnt burn ( Stupid ME ) he said that this is what they would be putting on my roof and it would make it insurable. So I thought if they are going to put two thirds of the shakes new on my roof and that they are fire retardant the price was high $6000.00 plus wasnt bad because I know what new shakes cost. I might add I had one small leak that was coming in my house around a window. So we agreed to have them do it? (Stupid Me)  They wanted $2000.00 up front and the balance when done. The down is more that what the law calls for here 2% is the law here so they where wrong from the start. In a week or two three guys showed up from ARS Inc three Mexicans in a small Toyota truck with about eight bundles of shakes in the back, Two of these guys spoke no English and the one that did didnt speak much of it. I was wearing a brace on my leg and on crutches at the time so I couldnt get on the roof to see how it was going. They where here most of the day pressure washing the roof  they worked here for about a week during that time I was going to therapy so I couldnt be here all the time. Then on the day they said they where done the wife gave them a check for the balance and they where gone I wasnt here at that time. I did notice that the roof didnt have any red color to it so I made a few calls none of which where returned. Then one day against my doctors orders I got up on the roof to see just what they did.
 
They didnt do any of the things that they where hired to do as per there salesman they didnt even replace the ridge which was busted all up. So I took some pictures of the roof and sent them to ARS Inc. but still never got an answer. I call the BBB in there area and filed a complaint, The BBB called me and said that they have talked to ARS Inc. and that someone would be out and to let them know if the do. So in a week a guy came out we talked I told him my concerns and he said that he would get somebody to fix things. I called the BBB and told them that he did show so they dropped the case. Looks like they sided with the contractor so that was a waste of my time. Then after more calls a guy finally showed with the new ridge cap and when he was done I took a piece of the new ridge cap that he installed and with my propane torch I set it on fire and asked him where is the retardant he says he knows nothing about that.
 
 
Then the first rain came that is when all of the real trouble began all of my patio roofs leaked so bad that you couldnt sit under them without moving your chair around the drips to stay dry. Plus I still had the leak in the house. More calls to ARS Inc. and ignored again.
 
So I filed a complaint with the State Contractors Licenses Board and with in a week I had a guy out again I told him that all of the patio roofs are leaking he tells me that the pitch on one of them is so small that the water backs up, I told him the roof was 28 years old that it never leaked until you guys got up there. So he did agree to strip 2/3 of the small patio roof and put down new paper. Again I couldnt go up and check. But when the rain came it still leaked, a patio roof 18x12 with twenty plus leaks, my other patio roof 40x12 has more leaks and dry rot that I can count. And more calls to them not returned.
 
So I was getting tired of calling ARS Inc. I called in another contractor to do the work on my house roof only not the patios because I couldnt afford both and was worried if the patios leak this bad how about the main roof. I hired Armor Roofing to finish the roof that I paid ARS Inc. to do.
 
It cost me another $3000.00 that I had to put on a credit card because money is short because of my disability and ARS Inc. getting all of my savings. This company put up another 12 bundles of the right kind of shakes and also put on an oil that has my roof looking like ARS Inc. said they where going to do and didnt.
 
After all of this I found out the CSLB never did file my complaint because I left out the Inc. after the company name so they sent it back to me and I was so tired of all of this that I didnt re do it. But I am going to see if I still can.
 
After all of the trouble I have had with ARS Inc. I took them to small clams court and won just enough money to pay the second company Armor Roofing. But I am still sitting here with all of the leaks in both of my patio roofs and a small one around a window which I cant afford to fix at this time and the dry rot just keeps getting worse.
 
I have about 13 pages of documentation on American Roofing Systems and all of the court papers but I know I dont have room for them here. They also have yards up and down the Ca. valley. I dont know if they all work the same way but I would never use the one in Foster City Ca.