Left in a lurch, without a new roof

WENDELL -- Linnie Wall figured she had solved a problem.

The single mother got a visit from a representative of American Shingle, who told her the roof on her home had been damaged by hail.

"He said they could fix it. All they wanted me to do was set up a meeting between their adjuster and my insurance adjuster," Wall said.

She arranged the meeting and her insurance company agreed to pay $2,260 for the roof repairs. Wall signed the check over to American Shingle.

That was in May. In June she got a letter saying work would be delayed until July. In July, she got a similar letter.

On Aug. 20, Wall got a letter from the company saying the company was closing.

The whole affair rubs Wall the wrong way.

"They've ripped people off all over the place," Wall said.

American Shingle is now the subject of an investigation by the N.C. Attorney General's Office. The Better Business Bureau reports receiving 500 complaints from consumers across the country. About 80 of those complaints have come from North Carolina customers.

Wendell police received a report from another resident, informing them of the problems he was having. Detective Roy Holloway turned the information over to the Attorney General's Office and shared it with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is conducting its own investigation after receiving complaints from consumers in that state.

A Zebulon church is also out about $4,600 after its insurance company paid a 33 percent down payment to have work done on its roof.

Bill Schley, a member of Beaver Creek Christian Church in Zebulon, said his church signed a contract with American Shingle in June after adjusters placed the cost of a new roof at $14,900.

Schley says his church will work with its insurance company to see whether it can use the remainder of the settlement money to do the work, if it can find a competent roofer who will do the work for the $10,300 they have left.

Time is of the essence for the church, Schley said.

"We have a big blue tarp over part of our roof right now. If we have a big storm come along, we could be in trouble," Schley said.

Schley said the church will also file a claim with the N.C. Attorney General's Office so that it can share in any settlements that agency reaches with the roofing company.

American Shingle, based in Atlanta, had three offices in North Carolina. In a letter to customers announcing its closing, company officials said they plan to collect payments for completed work and use that money to repay customers who have not received new roofs.

BBB spokeswoman Courtney Smith said customers of American Shingle whose contracts were not honored should register a complaint with her agency and file a civil complaint with the Attorney General's Office by calling 877-566-7226.

According to Smith, American Shingle entered the Triangle market in February. That's when the agency started receiving inquiries about the company. As of Tuesday, the BBB had received about 650 calls since Feb. 19 from people asking questions about American Shingle