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Chantilly, Va. — Oct. 20, 2014 — Customers desiring metal roofs on new or existing buildings typically hire sheet metal contractors. This investment (by a homeowner or business) is – ideally – one that will last for decades.
But what happens if a problem develops with the roof and, when the customer calls for assistance, it turns out the contractor has gone out of business?
In the Chicago Metro area, SMACNA Greater Chicago (the local chapter of the sheet metal contractors association) and SMART Local Union 265 have combined to create and stand behind (financially and otherwise) a five-year warranty on sheet metal roofing work done by their member contractors.
It is available to customers at no additional charge.
Here’s how it works:
• The contractor does the job.
• If there’s a problem within the five-year period, the contractor returns and fixes it.
• If the installing contractor is no longer in business, another union sheet metal contractor will do the job (at no charge to the customer).
• Whether the contractor remains in business or not, an inspection is offered to the customer (again, at no charge) at the end of the five-year warranty period to ensure that the work will retain integrity over time.
“We have a strong local association and great ties with the workers who are members of Local 265,” said Ken Wiesbrook, a vice president at Wiesbrook Sheet Metal, in Plainfield, Ill. “We all talked about this idea – all the participating companies, with the union. We thought it was possible to offer this, and now we’ve made it happen for our customers.”
Added Chuck Ruegge of Local 265: “Now, our contractors can tell the customer, 'If something happens, Mr. Owner, we’re going to stand behind you.' Our competitors just can’t come close to matching that.”
