Working4You: Central Arkansas homeowners turn to AG’s office with complaints about unlicensed roofer

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Customers of an Arkansas contractor are raising concerns after experiencing problems with leaks.

They say the BJ’s Roofing & Home Maintenance Co. offered a good deal but problems quickly crept up and when they asked for repairs the issues didn’t stop, and they were eventually blocked from messaging the roofer further.

Working4You traveled through the state to look into the complaints and get answers from the company responsible for the work.

David Rodriguez said the one-year-old roof on his home in Kingsland does not keep water out. He said it was replaced in June 2023, but by January and the melting of the first snowfall, he started noticing problems.

“I’ve got rain running down between my walls on my cabinets down to my floor,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the first two leaks he found have grown to seven spots. His first thought was to call his roofer, B.J.’s Roofing and Home Maintenance Company, who came out and said a storm caused new damage.

After getting a second opinion from Rhino Roofing, Rodriguez said he got a very different story.

He said an inspection found issues ranging from the shingles not reaching the drip edge to the lack of mod-bit specialized flat roof section material being used. Rodriguez said the inspector also noted elements like the chimney flashing that should have been replaced instead of caulked over.

“Just these small things, these small mishaps that he missed out on as a roofer just trying to cut costs, it’s going to hurt a lot in the backend,” a Rhino Roofing worker told Rodriguez in a video. “This is a really bad way to do a roof, and whoever was the roofer definitely needs to be held accountable.”

Working4You contacted BJ’s Roofing owner Bobby Scarberry, who didn’t want to interview, but said over text that the other inspector was “dumb” and didn’t know what he was talking about.

According to Scarberry his offer of $7,000, which he claimed was $5,000 cheaper than the competitor, was what Rodriguez could afford and leaving out the replacements and additional materials was the homeowner’s choice. He didn’t address other issues brought up by the homeowner.

Rodriguez said the only optional feature he was made aware of was replacing a vent, which he was told would not be a problem.

“I’m not a roofer, so I don’t know what these things are expected to cost,” Rodriguez said. “We’re looking to rectify and get compensation over this because we should not have leaks in our home.”

Rodriguez said he filed a complaint with the office of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. He was not the only one.

Michelle Taylor said her back porch addition leaks between her home and what BJ’s Roofing installed. Scarberry claimed the issue was because Taylor and he agreed to reuse some material, but Anthony Gilbert, a former foreman at Shaffers Roofing, said the leaks were for a different reason. The counterflash is visibly higher than the roof in some places.

“If your roof is lower than what it’s running to, then water is never going to make it off the edge,” Gilbert said.

“He (Scarberry) tried to make it look like it was our fault for whatever was happening,” Taylor said.

Scarberry told his customers and Working4You that he was insured, but when asked about a license or roofing registration, he said he had none.

The Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board confirmed his lack of license, with board administrator and executive director James D. Lawson sharing a statement on the license requirement.

“Contractors must be licensed if they undertake a residential project the cost of which is more than $2,000.00,” the statement said in part.

Lawson added if a contractor is found to have entered into a contract or undertaken a project without having the appropriate license, the contractor may be assessed a fine by the board’s residential committee. Generally, the fine is $400 per day for each day of activity on the project.

“I just, you know, hope no one else gets scammed by him,” Taylor said.

Working4You is aware of four customers who have voiced complaints about the workmanship of BJ’s Roofing, but the two who were interviewed were the only ones who filed complaints with the attorney general’s office.

The attorney general’s office is currently mediating between the consumers and the company.  If the two sides can’t agree on a resolution, their next option would be to turn to the court system.

Rodriguez and Taylor said Scarberry has blocked them online after they asked for repairs and publicly called him out over social media. Scarberry told Working4You he has done thousands of roofs and plans to sue these two customers.

“The witness I have and the insurance companies I have and proof I have I’m not worried about it,” Scarberry said in a text.

Working4You asked Scarberry for his lawyer’s name to speak with him and was told he would rather not give his name and would reach out if he wished.

“Unfortunately, I don’t feel like he (Scarberry) is going to resolve anything because he’s put threats out to us,” Rodriguez said.

Have concerns about this company or others? Call the Working4You hotline at 501-340-4448.

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