BBB Consumer Alert: Tennessee Roofing Professionals Believed to Be Operating as Tri-State Roofing
August 11, 2011, Memphis, TN – The Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South is issuing an updated consumer alert about Tennessee Roofing Professionals, an F rated company operating in the Memphis and North Mississippi area. The BBB has reason to believe that the company is now operating as Tri-State Roofing in Hernando MS.
The BBB issued a consumer alert about Tennessee Roofing Professionals on June 13, 2011. At that time, the BBB had received 24 complaints on the company from homeowners who alleged that they transferred insurance checks to the company but no work had been done. That number has since grown to 64, many of which remain unanswered.
According to the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, Tennessee Roofing Professionals’ license was suspended on June 17, 2011. That means the company and/or its principals are legally unable to do any work in Tennessee. Any contract signed with consumers since that date would be in violation of this suspension order.
The BBB believes the companies are affiliated for the following reasons:
- The website for Tri-State Roofing is virtually identical to the websites for Tennessee Roofing Professionals, Mississippi Roofing Professionals, Alabama Roofing Professionals, and Georgia Roofing Professionals. All of the latter sites were designed by a principal of Tennessee Roofing Professionals.
- The Tri-State Roofing website contains testimonial letters addressed to Mississippi Roofing Professionals. One letter, including the customer’s name, is identical to a testimonial letter on the Tennessee Roofing Professionals website, with the exception of the company name.
- A report for Tri-State Roofing on Angie's List includes an additional DBA of Tennessee Roofing and the email address: info@tennesseeroofingprofessionals.com
- The address on Tri-State Roofing’s contract is a paid mailbox at a UPS store in Hernando MS. According to Hernando City Hall, the company applied for a privilege license but was denied one because they only provided a mailbox address and do not have a physical address in Hernando.
- A Millington business license obtained by Tri-State Roofing on July 14, 2011 shows an address of 1926 Chelsea Avenue, which is also the address for Tennessee Roofing Professionals.
· A Shelby County business license obtained the same day under the name Tri State Construction Services lists the Hernando mailbox address.
· A business license obtained through the City of Germantown on July 1, 2011 for Tri-State Roofing lists the Hernando mailbox address.
· Tri-State Roofing’s contract is virtually identical to that of Tennessee Roofing Professionals.
· The contract states that the homeowner’s insurance check will be transferred to “Tri-State Roofing/American Construction Specialties.” Similar language appears in the Tennessee Roofing Professionals contract. In a meeting with the BBB, a principal of Tennessee Roofing Professionals said that he owns American Construction Specialties.
A Tri-State Roofing contract was provided to the BBB by a disgruntled Memphis homeowner who traveled from Memphis to Hernando yesterday in search of the company’s office. When she couldn’t find it, she stopped at Hernando City Hall to ask for directions. There she learned that the city refused to issue a business license to the company because they were not actually located in Hernando.
This homeowner wants out of the contract since she found out that the company has lied to her about its licensing and location. “If I have to pay a cancellation fee, I will,” she told the BBB. “I will not do business with a company that lied to me and doesn’t even exist in the city where they told me they were located!”
The BBB contacted Tri-State Roofing and shared our concerns about their affiliation with Tennessee Roofing Professionals, including the specific points cited above. The company did not address these points and refused to provide a physical address.
The BBB advises consumers to be wary of doing business with Tri-State Roofing. A list of BBB Accredited roofers is available on our website at bbb.org or by calling our office at 901-759-1300 or 800-222-8754.
For more information or to schedule an interview with a BBB spokesperson, contact Nancy Crawford at 901.757.8627 or 901.213.7809.
About BBB
BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability ReportsTM and national charity BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 125 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than 3 million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about BBB.
BBB Contact:
Nancy Crawford
901.757.8627
901.213.7809
ncrawford@bbbmidsouth.org
