The BBB Warns of Scams as Golden Valley Deals with Hail Damage

Bruce Pappas has lived in his North Tyrol Hills home in Golden Valley since 1988, and his family has seen its share of thunderstorms over the years.  bounced off his home and onto the cars in his driveway Tuesday night, he could only wait for the storm to pass.

"It was depressing," he says.  "You stand outside and just watch as things get damaged.  You feel helpless."

Pappas' mother, Ginny Evert, was visiting when the two heard the pounding on the roof.

"I've seen hail before," Evert says.  "But I've never seen it that size.  And a lot of the pieces had points sticking out of them."

When the storm had passed, Pappas had one car with dents all over the hood and another with its back window smashed in.

Many folks are still assessing damage to their homes and their cars, especially in the neighborhoods closest to I-394.  And these same neighborhoods had some new visitors on Wednesday, as door-to-door sales reps offered their companies' services to help with storm damage.

Pappas now works for the Bloomington schools, but he had been a general contractor a number of years ago.

"I don't trust those people walking around handing out flyers," he says.  "God bless them, they have a job to do, but I stick with people I know or people who have been recommended to me."

The Better Business Bureau gave similar advice in a news release issued Wednesday warning of potential scams.

"Though most contractors have your best interests in mind, there
are those few that are only interested in making a fast dollar," Dan Hendrickson, communications coordinator for the local BBB, wrote. 

Hendrickson offered the following tips for people who are dealing with hail damage:

• Contact your insurance company immediately to inquire about policy coverage and specific filing requirements. This gets the ball rolling on the claim process.
  
  
• Document the damage to your property (and autos); take pictures or video if possible.
  
  
• Do not make any permanent repairs until you get approval from your insurance company. Your insurer might not fully reimburse you for permanent repairs made without their authorization.
  
  
• Get references from friends and relatives and contact the Better Business Bureau to obtain Reliability Reports on any company you are considering hiring.  You can visit their website or call 651-699-1111.
• Shop around an get more than one estimate before agreeing to have any damage repaired.

As for Bruce Pappas, he found out Wednesday afternoon that his roof had weathered the storm, but he's still got deductibles on two cars to shell out. No, Golden Valley didn't have a tornado rip through it and no major injuries have been reported.

"Yeah, it could be a lot worse," Pappas says.  "But it could have been better, too."