Tulsa Better Business Bureau: Roof Repair Warning

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The Tulsa Better Business Bureau has a roof repair warning. Officials say after getting customer complaints, they learned the company in question has an F rating with a BBB in another state. 

Now, the company is operating here and there are some red flags about the way it's doing business.

Cynthia Hartman says she received a phone call from Engineers for Catastrophic Storms, offering to come check her roof for hail damage. She agreed and he told her she had damage from last spring. He called her insurance company to request an appraiser. Based on that appraisal, her insurance sent her a check.

"The check was about $3,800 and he said put it in the bank and when it clears, I'll need, first it was $2,300, then it was the whole thing, to buy supplies to do the roof," said Cynthia.

But then she says he had her write him a check, made out to James Urso, not the company and she was to call him when her insurance check cleared the bank. 

When she saw in her contract checks should only be made out to the company, she and her husband began doing research. They learned the company has an F rating with the Better Business Bureau in another state because his website and paperwork had the BBB logo, even though he wasn't a member.

"It's always a concern for us when somebody is using our logo illegally," said Rick Brinkley, Tulsa BBB.

When Brinkley did research on the company's toll free number, he found several ads placed by Urso, advertising for all kinds of jobs, all over the country.

"There's four pages of this stuff," said Brinkley.

The Hartman's canceled the contract, but were told they still owed $185 for a tarp fee, for a tarp Urso put on her roof.

"I never told him to put a tarp on the roof, he didn't tell me he was putting a tarp on the roof," said Cynthia.

She says she doesn't know if he's a nice guy with bad business practices or someone out to take advantage, but wanted others to be warned. 

The News On 6 talked with James Urso with Engineers for Catastrophic Storms and he says he's doing nothing illegal or unethical.

He says his secretary mistakenly put the BBB logo on his paperwork and the web site and he's having trouble getting it removed. He says the tarp was to protect from leaks and $185 is a standard charge.

He says he had the check made out to him, so he could start right away, since there's a five day waiting period on checks to the business. He says he started operating in Oklahoma in November and just opened a Tulsa office Monday and has many satisfied customers.