Homeowner here, first time posting here. I have a complete tear off and reroof (about 40 sq) that I've been trying to get done. I had done quite a bit of reading on here, there really is a wealth of information! From that research, I knew I wanted a class 4 SBS modified asphalt shingle, and decided on Malarkey's Legacy in Natural Wood. So I get on Malarkey's website, find that there are 2 "certified" contractors in the area and I reach out to both for quote. One never responds, but I meet with the other get his quote (which was competitive with equivalent GAF and OC quotes plus an expected small premium to get what I want). I confirm availability, and sign the contract and everything seems good. A few days later I call the contractor for an update on the material delivery and confirm install date...and that is when the problems begin. I'm told the Legacy in Natural Wood is backordered nationally, how about a color that you don't want?
He also told me it is sitting in a warehouse in Detroit, but to get that I’d have to pay a $3,000 premium because they "price it higher there." However that different color is all that is available nationwide if I want that. I do not want that color! What is it, left over from another job and you're trying to sell it twice?
So essentially the options are 1) take a color that I did not specify and that I do not want or 2) pay an additional $3K in ransom to get what I signed a contract for? I’m sorry but neither of those are acceptable.
And here is the thing that is infuriating as a consumer: there is no real shortage or national backorder! The product is available at Malarkey's plant(s) and at the ship-from location that services NE Ohio (not even counting the material being warehoused in neighboring market of Detroit). The problem is the distributor doesn’t stock Malarkey material locally and won’t place an order for a month…which itself seems like an arbitrary timeline. What’s the threshold for calling something backordered? If you don’t place an order, I guess you can call anything backordered regardless of its true availability.
Even though I have the ability to call a truck and send it to pick up from OKC, it is outrageous that got to the point where I’m that as the consumer…not when I’m paying retail prices. Nor should I have to call the distribution office to get a concrete answer as to the product’s actual availability. It’s a ridiculous barrier to entry for using Malarkey product on my home, and makes me think I made a serious mistake selecting Malarkey over competitors who do a better job servicing this area.
I then hear from the Malarkey sales rep for Ohio and SE Michigan and he assured me
- I then hear from the Malarkey sales rep for Ohio and SE Michigan and was told on April 28 that product was being made available in Detroit and shipping that day.
- That was not true and did not happen. It never left.
- I was told on both April 29 and 30 that not only had it shipped, that it had been routed through Toledo and was arriving imminently in Akron.
- That was not true and did not happen.
- This morning I learned that no product had been made available, and nothing has shipped! It might have been shipped to Toledo today, but no timeline to make it Akron except that could be another week or two.
- This one is true, unfortunately.
- I send dozens of trucks back and forth between SE MI and NE Ohio every week, and it’s such a highly trafficked lane that even LTL isn’t more than a day or 2. I’d have to specifically try to make it take that long.
I'm very interested to hear what professionals think. Maybe this normal in the roofing and building supply industries? I am an entrepreneur myself, a c-suite executive for a mid-market manufacturing company. I don't say that because it makes me special in any way, only to say I have some insight manufacturing, distribution networks, logistics, and myriad of supply chain problems in North America. I come from Automotive and Aerospace, and I am astonished by the lack of communication, honesty, and what I would label as poor operational discipline. I would fully expect to be out of business in short order if I lied to my customers, took their money based on those lies, and then stopped responding all together when they discovered I lied.
Could the local roofing contractor be scamming me? Yes, I believe that is a real possibility at this point. I know I'm definitely not getting the truth from anybody: not Malarkey, not SRS, nor the contractor. At best, I feel like I am being strung along. What do you all think?