Roof painting scammers

anybody else have them show up? They come from somewhere in SC and travel around supposedly sealing people's barn roofs. apparently it's a pretty widespread thing.
 
years ago my neighbor got nailed by them guys. gave him a cheap price to paint some barns and a tool shed. about a month went by, the paint turned from white to a dull pink, then chalks and started to peel everywhere. the people who did it were long gone.
 
It sounds like you are talking about the 1/2 breed Mexicans that will do anything (including scams) for a buck. Several years ago my wife and I were eating at a Red Lobster and a little girl (about 9 Years old) was asking people in the restaurant if they wanted to buy a candle or candles.....I told the little girl to leave. She was kicked out by the employees in a few minutes.
 
Sounds like the 'Driveway resealing' gang I read about last summer. They were going around neighborhoods telling homeowners they would reseal their asphalt driveways for them cheap. All the homeowners got was a driveway painted with used motor oil. What a mess.
Jack
 
I have about a mile of 3 board fence that all needs some paint.

Saw the neighbor had a crew spraying his so gave him a call to check price and told him to send the foreman over when he had a chance.

Negotiated a price of $0.80 a linear foot of fence and told them to go ahead with about 2000 ft. Like the roof mentioned below fence looked pretty good for about 3-4 weeks. To make matters worse they arrived on one of the windiest days in memory and proceed to spray everything around. Had black tar overspray on all the buildings and vehicles as well as any critters (2 and 4 legged) that were in the way. Just glad I did not have them do any more.

Since then we watch for paint on sale and have the local kids over to brush it on. A couple of them are pretty good and quick. Much happier with this approach.
 
Poke around here

http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS345US346&q=gypsy+scams&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=ZgViS5jYA8eztgeRxcjYDQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CB4QqwQwAw#
 
Thats why I tell them 'sure, but I furnish the paint and watch it go on'. I tell them straight up, they get 2 barrels of paint and 5 gallons of thinner to clean up with and the thinner better not go into the paint. So far its worked well. About 1 out of 5 takes the deal.
 
They are called Irish Travellers. Been conartists for hundreds of years. Many of them congregated in South Carolina.
 
My neighbor had a bunch of them roll up one day to paint his barn roof on the cheap. They painted the leaves on roof and everything else in the way. First rain and silver paint was running down the pasture.
 
Bigger towns they have the drive way and roof scams. Couple travelers get the home owner out of the house usually old folks while one shakes down the house. The barn roof is really an old scam the just keeps going.
 
Had some of them guys talking to my 80 year old mother last year. Heard the deal was going good until the Texas Ranger stopped by to check on her. She told me the guys were gone before the ranger could get out of his car.
 
Aren't the travelers from SC? I saw a news show on them several years ago. Some have become quite wealthy.
 
I have a traveler that comes through here every year, paints barns etc. at one time he left his work trucks at a neighbors over the winter. I trust him to do a good job, he has for over the 30+ years anyway, but I know him can't say I'd trust others, the shine on a dump truck makes me nervous.
 

I think i've posted this before on here. The Irish gypsies live in North Augusta, SC. Some Irish priest named Father Murphy brought them over in the 1920s. They lived for a long time in trailers but their houses got fancier and fancier, recognizible by large fancy front doors with stained glass. Supposedly when they build a house they leave it vacant for a year so the evil spirits will leave, then have the house blessed by a priest. Their idea is that God placed other people on earth for them to make money from.
You don't infiltrate the Irish Gypsies, the Mafia maybe but not the Gypsies. They are very clannish, have arranged marriages, etc. One outside woman married into them a few years ago, then split up and talked. The Attorneys General of SC and some other state got after them for tax evasion, like in it's not nice to cheat citizens, but don't dare cheat the government. Don't know what became of the case.
They, along with a lot of other people, have two basic business models. One model has business men trying to make a quick buck and never mind giving good honest service, the other model calls for decent services aimed at repeat business. I've had one of them calling on me for 30+ years with the aluminum paint on barns routine. At first the paint was mixed with tar and lasted fairly well. One time I did what Kyhayman did and bought my own good quality paint. It lasted only a little longer, so I went to using his paint. I knew about the tin roof scam years ago so was cautious. For years I didn't know he was one of the Gypsies but saw a special on TV where they mentioned the few last names the Gypsies have, snd realized this guy must be one of them, then asked him where he was from. He didn't admit to living in North Augusta, but gave another city nearby. Anyway, I can say he has never cheated me and his business model must work for him. He trades trucks every year. He says he goes to Ohio in the summer with his paint crew, so you OH guys can look out for a gray haired guy driving a nice new truck. Don't take his first offer.

KEH
 
We had sort of the same deal when my father was still on the farm.

Workers showed up and insisted on painting the barn roof, and at a reasonable cost. And when I say insist I mean it. They intimidate to the point one is afraid to refuse.

Problem is the same kind of workers had been altering my dad's checks before cashing them at the local bank. A $900 check might turn into $9,000.

It happened that my brother was visiting and he hid in the house while the deal was made. He then put on his law enforcement uniform and confronted the men. He took identification from all, vehicle information, etc.

He then ask what deal had been made and at what cost? Dad confirmed the figures. He then told them to get busy and to re-nail every piece of loose tin, add nails where there were loose nails, etc.

Upon completion they then spray painted it. That was around 1995 and to this day the roof is still in good shape with the paint seeming to be of good quality in reality when not watered down.

My brother of course shared all of the information he had on them with law enforcement agencies and organization in case scamming had taken place elsewhere.

Expect those fellows promptly moved out of state with their information noted.

They are scum of the earth preying on the weak. Upon discovering the many preying upon my dad we learned that he had been taken for over $43,000 over about a year and a half. Up until then we had never pried into his affairs as he seemed very capable at managing just fine.
 
They painted my grain bins here in ohio last year.They added something to the paint that smelled like gas.They had a foot tall tank in the back of a pickup bed that covered the whole bed area.The salesman had a new chevy truck with ohio plates,but the worker was a black guy from
north carolina that came to work in the morning painted aluminum.They do a lot of work around that usually last a few years and is less than 1/2 the cost of local painters.
 
We havent had them for years!! I would think they would get hammered for not being licenced, insured, work permits etc today? Most Door to door salsmen/contractors are a scam. This scam is used for many services.
 
With them little antennas on top of their pickups,you'd think they'd communicate with esch other better than they do. Every year I have to tell them to get their useless @sses out of my yard! Fell for their crap ONE TIME about 35 years ago. Claimed they put 10 gallons of paint on the roof of a 12x50 mobile home. I think you'd about need side racks to get that much on.
 
There are some good ones though. Mr. Jimmy Riley, an honest man with a good crew. He aint cheap, but he is good and a gentleman.

He even comes to our county fair and buys the kids hams and donates to local charities and events. He works Mid Missouri, but I think he is from the Memphis area.

Gene
 
A few years ago an elderly lady down the road from us caught one shaking down her house while his partner was negotiating a deal. She made him crawl backwards out of her house while she had her pistol in his face and berated him with profanity a sailor would be proud of.
 
Some of the Irish Travelers threaten and intimidate folks into hiring them. As already mentioned, they will steal, forge checks, basically do anything to cheat a person out of money. Some of them drive around with the cheap bandsaw/hyd press/ engine hoist/ drill press package,in a pickup, calling on garages and shops. Some are also now out peddling those cheap yellow generators..
 
Talked Grandma into it while I was at work. They did paint it and resecure any loose tin for $300. Pretty big barn, 30' by 60'. It covered the rust for about 3 years, looks worse than ever now.
 
Dang. I'm from SC and highly embarassed. Never knew nobody like that. They need eye check with shotgun. You know. Look down barrell and what do you see? Had buddy had trouble with maybe gypsies or something like that. He started rumor that building was haunted and they run off so fast, left their shoes. Don't trust nobody but yourself, and maybe not him either.
 
My neighbor has a travelling paint crew do his big old barn roof every five years or so. He has so far had good results.

They stop at my house, and I can't bear to deal with them. Besides, I kinda like the "rusty" look. I don't want to look too prosperous.

Paul
 
I know a guy who thinks he's very smart with his money. He got taken for about $15,000 to have his driveway paved. The pavement was less than 2" thick in some places. They claimed they had left over after doing the main road in his subdivision. He paid up front and of course they were long gone by the time he discovered their poor job. He's not the financial genious he thinks he is. His subdivision was paved but it was done by the county, not the fly by night guys that he let scam him. Dave
 
They come here too, usually in the spring and fall. They always drive up in a new truck, and it will have a SC license tag on it.
 
Someone like that years ago painted the barn roof at my farm before I was there and after my grandparents died. My Dad was kinda watching over the place and thought it was a good deal. Guy ended up getting over spray on just about everything in a mile radius, big thing was my dad's 69 Chevy. Couldnt get a hold of them after they left.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top