This is my story about dealing with Frank Sarpino, owner of All-Area Roofing. I had intervened in this action due to the fact that the owner of this company gave an estimate/contract to my uncle, who happens to be 87 years old, and as his nephew, felt like he was about to be ripped off by this contractor.
The contract for the replacement roof was finalized near the end of September, 2013, with the homeowner (uncle) giving the contractor $3500. toward the job at that time. Nothing unusual about that, with most contractors needing funds for materials upfront. Here we are at mid-April, 2014, with the job not scheduled or started. (Essentially, that's 7 months of the contractor holding the funds interest-free.)
Communication is NOT one of this contractor's strong points. There may have been one or two phone calls to the homeowner during this 7-month period, always providing one excuse or another for why he can't begin the job.
The homeowner had finally disclosed this situation to me, and I decided to take action. First of all, I was surprised to have received a return call from Frank Sarpino's wife, Lynn Inez, within 2 days of leaving voicemails. The only thing I mentioned is that I had some business to discuss with Mr. Sarpino, that was all, never mentioning the homeowner's name. When talking to Ms. Inez, I had asked her if her company had filed bankruptcy. She acknowledged that they did, and that they had withdrawn the action, never having gotten to being discharged by the Court. My questioning may have clued her into thinking that I was consider a civil lawsuit to recover the 7-month-old deposit. Within an hour, I had received a return call stating that the job would begin TOMORROW.
After various excuses (crew had a car accident, too windy, etc.), the job did not begin until the THIRD day. When I asked Frank if he employed his own crews, he responded by telling me that he gives his employees 1099's, so he didn't have the responsibilty of having to pay FICA and other taxes. Here's the bottom line folks, he lines up crews to sub the jobs out to. He does not employ his own crews, he is strictly a MIDDLE-MAN. He pays the crew he hires, and takes his cut in the process. I have to assume that the 3-day wait that I experienced, once he was spurred into action, was probably because he could not line-up a crew.
The owner is really good at selling you air out of a jug, and blowing smoke up your as* to fit his needs. He'd promised to meet with me at the job-site BEFORE the job began to a) deliver a copy of his Certificate of Insurance, and, b) to do a walk-around along with the crew. I had expected his promised phone call, so I could meet him, but that never happened.
After speaking with the sub-crew leader, even SHE didn't trust this contractor, not sure if she was going to receive payment from him. His actions do NOT give you a warm, fuzzy and trustworthy feeling.
Apparently, he didn't purchase enough 30-year roofing shingles to finish the job, as contracted. The job was completed using 25-year shingles.
The man he uses to deliver his dumpster trailer made a large divet/rut in the dirt while backing into the driveway. I told Frank that this was HIS responsibilty, or he wouldn't get paid. He fixed it. After repeated trips, he had removed whatever shingle waste that wouldn't fit into the dump trailer. When I met him to pay the balance due, he tells me that the shingle warranty and receipt would be emailed to me. I demanded a receipt stating PAID-IN-FULL on the spot, or he wasn't getting paid, and certainly not a dollar more than his agreement with the homeowner. I also hinted that I better not see a mechanic's lien on the property in the future.
I asked his side-kick if they had another job lined up, he said several. I feel for these people. They don't know the aggrivation that they're about to endure. Dealing with a contractor should be a better, kinder experience for anybody. When you're a seasoned citizen, you REALLY don't need the stress and aggrevation that this contractor brings.
In case anyone has tried to check on his credentials, his business address is registered with the State of Virginia as 1393 London Bridge Road, Ste. 109, Virginia Beach, VA 23453. His current address is stated on this form.
R-R-R-R-r-r-r-r-un, don't walk way!
Recommendation: The sub-crew that he hired was excellent: Reliable Remodeling...great work. I'd recommend THESE folks anytime!
All-Area Roofing and Restoration, Inc. Reviews
This is my story about dealing with Frank Sarpino, owner of All-Area Roofing. I had intervened in this action due to the fact that the owner of this company gave an estimate/contract to my uncle, who happens to be 87 years old, and as his nephew, felt like he was about to be ripped off by this contractor.
The contract for the replacement roof was finalized near the end of September, 2013, with the homeowner (uncle) giving the contractor $3500. toward the job at that time. Nothing unusual about that, with most contractors needing funds for materials upfront. Here we are at mid-April, 2014, with the job not scheduled or started. (Essentially, that's 7 months of the contractor holding the funds interest-free.)
Communication is NOT one of this contractor's strong points. There may have been one or two phone calls to the homeowner during this 7-month period, always providing one excuse or another for why he can't begin the job.
The homeowner had finally disclosed this situation to me, and I decided to take action. First of all, I was surprised to have received a return call from Frank Sarpino's wife, Lynn Inez, within 2 days of leaving voicemails. The only thing I mentioned is that I had some business to discuss with Mr. Sarpino, that was all, never mentioning the homeowner's name. When talking to Ms. Inez, I had asked her if her company had filed bankruptcy. She acknowledged that they did, and that they had withdrawn the action, never having gotten to being discharged by the Court. My questioning may have clued her into thinking that I was consider a civil lawsuit to recover the 7-month-old deposit. Within an hour, I had received a return call stating that the job would begin TOMORROW.
After various excuses (crew had a car accident, too windy, etc.), the job did not begin until the THIRD day. When I asked Frank if he employed his own crews, he responded by telling me that he gives his employees 1099's, so he didn't have the responsibilty of having to pay FICA and other taxes. Here's the bottom line folks, he lines up crews to sub the jobs out to. He does not employ his own crews, he is strictly a MIDDLE-MAN. He pays the crew he hires, and takes his cut in the process. I have to assume that the 3-day wait that I experienced, once he was spurred into action, was probably because he could not line-up a crew.
The owner is really good at selling you air out of a jug, and blowing smoke up your as* to fit his needs. He'd promised to meet with me at the job-site BEFORE the job began to a) deliver a copy of his Certificate of Insurance, and, b) to do a walk-around along with the crew. I had expected his promised phone call, so I could meet him, but that never happened.
After speaking with the sub-crew leader, even SHE didn't trust this contractor, not sure if she was going to receive payment from him. His actions do NOT give you a warm, fuzzy and trustworthy feeling.
Apparently, he didn't purchase enough 30-year roofing shingles to finish the job, as contracted. The job was completed using 25-year shingles.
The man he uses to deliver his dumpster trailer made a large divet/rut in the dirt while backing into the driveway. I told Frank that this was HIS responsibilty, or he wouldn't get paid. He fixed it. After repeated trips, he had removed whatever shingle waste that wouldn't fit into the dump trailer. When I met him to pay the balance due, he tells me that the shingle warranty and receipt would be emailed to me. I demanded a receipt stating PAID-IN-FULL on the spot, or he wasn't getting paid, and certainly not a dollar more than his agreement with the homeowner. I also hinted that I better not see a mechanic's lien on the property in the future.
I asked his side-kick if they had another job lined up, he said several. I feel for these people. They don't know the aggrivation that they're about to endure. Dealing with a contractor should be a better, kinder experience for anybody. When you're a seasoned citizen, you REALLY don't need the stress and aggrevation that this contractor brings.
In case anyone has tried to check on his credentials, his business address is registered with the State of Virginia as 1393 London Bridge Road, Ste. 109, Virginia Beach, VA 23453. His current address is stated on this form.
R-R-R-R-r-r-r-r-un, don't walk way!
Recommendation: The sub-crew that he hired was excellent: Reliable Remodeling...great work. I'd recommend THESE folks anytime!