# DuroLast warranty?



## Oklahoma Area

DuroLast is offing coverage for consequential damages in their warranties. I have heard horror stories of the owner/contractor trying to collect on this warranty. Has anyone had an experience with the consequential damages coverage that is offered with their NDL warranties?


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## 1985gt

I have never personally dealt with Duro-Last's warranty department. I have heard the same stories of them not honoring the warranty. We have repaired 6-10 year old DL roofs with damage and the owners have said DL will not do anything about it.


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## Oklahoma Area

I have heard that DL’s consequential damage clause is a marketing tool. It sounds like a smoke and mirrors show. It would be interesting to find a few people with success or failure stories to learn what the technique is for dealing with DL. In OK, DuraLast has done a really good job of blanketing the state’s smaller towns with DL contractors and selling the system to the small school districts with the clause about consequential damages. But I have never heard of anyone being able to claim money for consequential damages.


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## LCG

We used to install Duro pretty heavily. We haven't had to collect on a warranty issue on any of our projects, yet! However we have treid numerous times to help customers with DL roofs and have had little success.

One of my local competitors is a BIG DL guy. He has all of the pretty plaques to prove it and all of the horrible installs that go along with being a DL guy. To answer your question. No he doesn't get very far with them either. He has stated he would like to get away from them due to all of his failed roofs and piss poor warranty help but has yet to bail. He has tried to pick up some other PVC lines but no one will take him on. I wonder why.:whistling:

I kind of view DL the same as I do GAF. They have perfected the art of saying, NO!


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## Oklahoma Area

That is a good way to put that. Using a shady product will ruin a contractor’s reputation with customers, contractors, and manufactures. I have gathered that their consequential damages are part of their umbrella insurance policy that protects DL from large liability claims, which all manufactures have. You would probably have to sue DL to get the policy money for consequential damages. I guess it is a lost cause; DL warranties will remain a mystery. I hope the RCI or NRCA publications will do an investigative story on manufacture warranties in the future.

I was talking to an architect that liked DL because he said it was roofing for dummies and something about thickness above the scrim.
the scrim.


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## LCG

Oklahoma Area said:


> That is a good way to put that. Using a shady product will ruin a contractor’s reputation with customers, contractors, and manufactures. I have gathered that their consequential damages are part of their umbrella insurance policy that protects DL from large liability claims, which all manufactures have. You would probably have to sue DL to get the policy money for consequential damages. I guess it is a lost cause; DL warranties will remain a mystery. I hope the RCI or NRCA publications will do an investigative story on manufacture warranties in the future.
> 
> I was talking to an architect that liked DL because he said it was roofing for dummies and something about thickness above the scrim.
> the scrim.


Ugh. DuroLast IS flat roofing for beginers. It really doesn't require any sizable start up investment. Other than a grip pull and a few hand welders you can pretty much blow and go. 

They do have some positives. They're engineering and sales department are great to deal with. They're technical rep was awesome to work with. When I see him running around I make sure to track him down and have lunch with him. Great guy!

I know our installs were flawless. We have had zero call backs and zero failures to this point. I just feel bad I sold it as a top tier roofing system knowing now our former customers will have problems down the road.


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## Pie in the Sky

All roofing warranties are marketing tools, not just DL. Warranties are there to protect the Manufacturer not the Consumer. They would not offer them if they weren’t making money off of them.


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## 1985gt

LCG said:


> I kind of view DL the same as I do GAF. They have perfected the art of saying, NO!



I do have to say we have never had any problems with GAF. The customer service is great, and the rep's that we work with are good also.


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## LCG

1985gt said:


> I do have to say we have never had any problems with GAF. The customer service is great, and the rep's that we work with are good also.


I should clarify.

I was speaking of their "shingle" division.

We don't deal with GAF on the commercial side of things. If you say they are great I will take your word for it.


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## 1985gt

Some times I forget about their shingles. :icon_redface: I thought most others did too! :laughing:


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## LCG

1985gt said:


> Some times I forget about their shingles. :icon_redface: I thought most others did too! :laughing:


I am reminded of their quality about 5 times a year. That's when we are called to replace blown shingles. We get there only find the roof is 5yrs old and missing most of the granules.

So the warranty procedure begins and I tell the customer we are more than willing to install a new GAF roof but they will have to spend some extra money and upgrade to one of GAF's upper end shingle lines.

I say this very, hmm... well, lightly!:whistling:


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## Oklahoma Area

There are 3 things to look for in a manufacture; quality, service, and price. Generally, you cannot have all 3. 
Which manufacture/shingle/role do you like the best?
Has anyone used Malarkey? They just opened a new shingle plant in Oklahoma.


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## 1985gt

LCG said:


> I am reminded of their quality about 5 times a year. That's when we are called to replace blown shingles. We get there only find the roof is 5yrs old and missing most of the granules.
> 
> So the warranty procedure begins and I tell the customer we are more than willing to install a new GAF roof but they will have to spend some extra money and upgrade to one of GAF's upper end shingle lines.
> 
> I say this very, hmm... well, lightly!:whistling:



The last time our GAF rep was in he was saying he needed to re shingle his house. I asked him what kind of shingles he was going to use. He gave me that salesman laugh. 




Oklahoma Area said:


> There are 3 things to look for in a manufacture; quality, service, and price. Generally, you cannot have all 3.
> Which manufacture/shingle/role do you like the best?
> Has anyone used Malarkey? They just opened a new shingle plant in Oklahoma.



The manufactures just follow each other around when it comes to price increases, doesn't matter shingles, single ply, asphalt. One raises the prices because of "raw material costs" the others suddenly do the same. Then you get the who ever buys more gets the bigger discount. 

So you have to basically focus on quality and service.

As far as shingles, I don't know what's good or bad for the most part since we rarely do any so I have to go off what other people who actually install them say. Even then its a toss up, some people love GAF others hate them.

We did do a shingle job about 3 years ago with Malarkey's. Good size job, tear off cedar shingles, inspect deck felt and go, easy walker. I was still running crews at the time and this showed up on my clip board,  so I got to pick the crew, grabbed one of the other foreman at the time since knew he could actually lay shingles and a couple of helpers. freaking thing took for ever! Glad the boss traded some work for it I never laid another shingle for a year. 

Ok to the point, I liked working with them, they reminded me of SBS modified, they seemed to be really really tough. They were hard to cut to say the least, and the other fault I noticed was watch out when it got warm like above 80 deg warm you would scuff the hell out of them. 

As far as how long they will last and how they handle warranties you would have to ask someone else. As we will probably never use them again, unless I use them on my house but I'm not even sure if I want to punish my back again like that.


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## LCG

Oklahoma Area said:


> There are 3 things to look for in a manufacture; quality, service, and price. Generally, you cannot have all 3.
> Which manufacture/shingle/role do you like the best?
> Has anyone used Malarkey? They just opened a new shingle plant in Oklahoma.


We use Malarkey exclusively!

We have found them to be the absolute best shingle on the market. We also get a GREAT deal on them. Sometime's we will install the new OC shingles. These are also a great holder in the Wyoming wind!

We are having the Malarkey rep to our shop to give the guys an orientation. It really isn't a certification rather an overview of how they prefer you install their material. 

Sometimes I think I sound like Charlie Browns teacher. Waa, Waa, Waa. My guys standing there looking at me:blink:. At least now they will see where the information comes from. Granted we install above and beyond any manufacturer recommendations or ICC. I think it will give them a base to learn from. More importantly they can hear it from the manufacturer themselves then expand on it.


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## Pie in the Sky

LCG said:


> We are having the Malarkey rep to our shop to give the guys an orientation. It really isn't a certification rather an overview of how they prefer you install their material.


 
Is Dave C. Still Repping them???

I like Malarkey too. You just dont see them down here. I have also seen a total failure but they stepped up and covered total replacement. Ive heard other negatives too but it was here say and you hear that about everyone.


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## LCG

Pie in the Sky said:


> Is Dave C. Still Repping them???
> 
> I like Malarkey too. You just dont see them down here. I have also seen a total failure but they stepped up and covered total replacement. Ive heard other negatives too but it was here say and you hear that about everyone.


Does he rep. Montana and Northern Wyoming or the Sounthern region of WY?

I think the Southern guy is named Dave. I also believe the one of the northern guys out of OR or WA is also named Dave?:blink: 

To make a long explanation even longer. No, I don't deal directly with him. I have met both but have been working with a guy named Jason for the last two years. They just put another guy in for the northern region who seems pretty cool as well. 

To complicate it further... The person coming to the orientation is from S. Dakota! :wallbash:

Here in Wyoming we take what we can get. They pretty much call each other and see who's "Passing Throuugh". The unlucky candidate gets the gig.:laughing:


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## Pie in the Sky

Dave Ciani is from SD. Jason may be one of his employees.. Good guys... Good Luck!


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## 1985gt

Good to hear about Malarkey they will for sure be on the list when it comes time to do my house.

So LCG when was the last time you traveled to Nebraska? :laughing:


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## LCG

1985gt said:


> Good to hear about Malarkey they will for sure be on the list when it comes time to do my house.
> 
> So LCG when was the last time you traveled to Nebraska? :laughing:


Well, there was that stripper in Sidney....:whistling:

Still gives me the itch thinking about it!


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