Media contact: Janet C. Hart, APR, CFEE (704) 927-8617 office
UPDATED: September 9, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
- - Since American Shingle and Siding, Inc. abruptly closed its doors last month, the loss to local homeowners has been growing daily. As of September 8, more than 830 complaints have been filed against the company with
the Better Business Bureau.
Of the 830
victims who have filed complaints so far, 187 homeowners live in
N.C. or S.C. Collectively, these 187 N.C. and S.C.
victims have lost an estimated $800,000 that they paid to American Shingle
for new roofs that have not been installed.
“This is one of
the worst cases that we have ever seen at
the Better Business Bureau,” said BBB President Tom Bartholomy. “Not only have
these homeowners lost their insurance money that was supposed to pay for a new
roof, they still have a damaged roof which they may have to pay to replace out
of their own pockets.”
There could be
more ramifications for homeowners as well. “As a result of filing a claim,
these homeowners could see their insurance premiums increase,” Bartholomy
added, “or even worse, their insurance companies may elect not to renew their
homeowner’s insurance coverage, at all.”
Homeowners who
had their new roofs installed by American Shingle may feel lucky that they got
their roof replaced without losing money, but they could face issues
related to repairs and warranties down the
road. "Homeowners essentially do not have a warranty on their
new roof because the company has closed," Bartholomy added, “so there’s no
one to do the work.”
In an interview
with WMAZ in Georgia, the President of American Shingle, Carlton Dunko,
estimates that the company sold 3,500 roofing contracts that have not been
fulfilled. With victims from ten states, multiple agencies are investigating
the company including the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, Attorneys General in several
states including N.C., and local law enforcement departments.
While these
agencies conduct their investigations to
determine what civil or criminal laws may apply, homeowners and subcontractors
have already begun filing lawsuits against American Shingle as they attempt to
recoup the money they have lost.
In a subsequent
interview with WMAZ, Dunko claims that he has done nothing criminal.
The Better
Business Bureau is referring all complainants who live in N.C. to the Attorneys
General’s office at 1-877-566-7226 or www.ncdoj.com;
and all complainants who live in S.C. to the S.C. Department of Consumer
Affairs at 1-800-92-1594 (toll-free from S.C.) or 1-803-734-4200 or www.scattorneygeneral.org.
For more
information, please call the BBB at (704) 927-8611.
###
Recent news
about American Shingle includes
(please note that this
news is from the individual stations listed, not the BBB):
