Roofing scam: The door-to-door salesman

I am a project manager for a small construction company and about 80% of our business is generated through targeting a storm damaged area and knocking on doors. The other 20% is mostly referrals and neighbors who call after we complete a job. The company I work for, and myself, are committed to providing outstanding workmanship, high-quality materials and exceptional customer service with each and every homeowner. We perform everything honestly and with integrity. My job isn't complete until each and every homeowner is completely satisfied. I really get tired of reading the same old stereotypes about door-to-door salespeople being dishonest, law-breaking scam artists. Why would I waste my time sending out mailers and waiting for the the phone to ring? I provide a valuable service to homeowners in storm-damaged neighborhoods. I knock on doors so I can have a face-to-face conversations with potential customers. I possess the skills and knowledge to be able to educate the homeowner about their roof, the process of filing a homeowner's insurance claim and the benefit of having me handle to process for them from beginning to end. I agree with all of the replies above. Many homeowners I've worked for are just like Nina. They don't know their insurance company will pay for wind and hail damage. They may not even know their roof has damage. They certainly don't have the knowledge or experience to be able to meet with insurance adjusters for the inspection. Insurance companies are tightening their belts. It is paramount to have a trained professional on the roof during the inspection. I will point out damage to each and every shingle, hail dings on every gutter and downspout, discuss the wind direction of the storm, etc. My customers always end up thanking me for knocking on their door, because I know how to save them a ton of money. I know many people in this line of work and I have never heard of anyone creating intentional damage. Dishonest people exist in every industry, but they are the exception, not the rule. As Ricardo Sanchez points out, it is insulting to adjusters in the industry to propose they cannot detect intentional damage. It is glaringly obvious to anyone who inspects roofs regularly. Articles like this just make it more difficult for me to help people not to have to pay out of pocket when their insurance company is responsible for paying for catastrophes (acts of God.) Contractors who are hired to do these types of jobs and never even bother to assist the homeowner in filing a claim are doing them a great disservice. People may wonder how this aspect of the business has gotten such a bad reputation. Here's an example: I was proactively working a storm damaged neighborhood. One street had just 14 house on it. My company had completed 7 jobs on this street, plus 2 more houses on the perpendicular streets at the end of the block. I filed a claim for the 8th house on the street. Homeowner was thrilled to be approved. I meet with her and her boyfriend to review the loss statement, pick out shingles and offer additional services and upgrades. As I'm explaining the loss statement and writing the contract she "informs" me that her insurance company paid her deductible. I explain to her what the deductible is and show her that it has been deducted from the total claim paid. For whatever reason, she just could not understand the concept of a deductible or the simple math involved in in subtracting it from the total. She became irate and accused me of trying to "scam" her out of $500. She ended up breaking our legally binding agreement and started telling all her neighbors I was ripping people off. I knew this because I had created rapport with many of her neighbors and completed jobs for them. They liked me well enough to call me to warn me. Legally, I could have taken her to court, put a lien on her house among other remedies. I didn't and won't. Why? Because I won't waste my time with people like that when I could invest my time in getting new business that appreciates what I do for them. Within about a month, both her neighbors had new roofs. I've strayed from my point, but it's people like her who tarnish reputations of honest, hard-working people. They complain so frequently and loudly that every article writer in the country hears them. Just as scamming contractors are the minority, so are unreasonable homeowners, I'd like to see just one article of advise for homeowners about the legitimate contractors who target neighborhoods and go door to door. Be specific about the "extra viligance" they should practice. What questions they should ask, the research they should do and where to do it, how to understand why their insurance company only paid for what they lost and not for upgrades they want, etc.