It's one of the contractor industries with the highest rate of shady companies, scams, and illegal operators, and that has a lot to do with the fact that you the customer can't see anything of what's going on because it takes place over your head.

So finding a company proven to be honest is both critical and difficult and that's why consumers we heard from say they were grateful to find Los Angeles area firm Royal Roofing Company and owner Steven Pinkus serving L.A. and Orange County for everything from new installations to repairs, residential, commercial, and industrial, with a proven track record of honesty rather than taking advantage of customers like so many others do in this industry.

Consumers Point to Royal Roofing Co As The Honest One Giving The Most Value

One way that consumers are getting cheated every day and don't even know it is with poor quality materials.  You want what the factory calls "first quality" material and you can recognize it because it comes in factory labels with barcodes and supplier's marks. But many companies are using what are known as "seconds" and even factory rejects.  Those cost the contractor half as much, and often as little as one-tenth the cost of proper materials and you can discern those because they are wrapped with a paper band of plain brown or white, or plastic wrap.

Royal Roofing Co. owner Steve Pinkus explains, "A reputable company will only ever use factory first quality materials and that's what all our clients get."  With so many other companies getting away with using reject material in order to appear cheaper to win business, why doesn't Royal Roofing just do that too?  Steve shares, "We've got a 35 year history as a company with a good reputation that we work to protect on every job, and we earned that by giving customers the right materials that last for years, not sneaking in reject materials that will fail, cause leaks, and damage a customer's property.  If being honest costs us a job or two, we know it's worth it in the long run due to all the referrals from happy customers and repeat business from multiple property owners."

That high rate of referrals and repeat business was borne out by consumers we heard from in research for this article, like one named Peter who reported to us, "Royal roofing is very key in anytime there's a rainstorm or anything and I have a problem they're the first guys I call. They've taken care of big jobs, small jobs. They give you a written warranty. There's nobody better in a business which tends to have a lot of fly-by-nights but they've been there a long time and I highly recommend them."

Another named Paula reported, "We have apartment buildings and Royal Roofing and Steve have done roofs for us the last 20 years. They're not the very cheapest in town but he always comes back if you need something. He shows up when he's supposed to. They're clean. He did my house, my mom's house, my mother-in-law's house, my sister, and all our apartment buildings.  Very reliable. They're very good."

This is an industry where workers are more prone to injury, such as from falling, or burns from hot tar. A company that doesn't have workers comp insurance puts you on the hook for those medical bills, and your own insurance won't cover it. "That's right," says Steve Pinkus. "Your insurance policy will specify coverage is given only if the contractor is properly licensed and insured. You can literally lose your home to a worker injury from a company not properly insured, including all the ones using day laborers."

Legitimate companies carrying the necessary insurance, and using those first quality factory materials like they are supposed to might seem to cost more compared to the ones taking dangerous illegal shortcuts. But in reality, a roof that fails and damages your interior or has to be redone in only 5 or 6 years ends up being the most expensive mistake compared to jobs that last decades like they should.

But even so, Royal Roofing and owner Steve Pinkus can give options to those with budget issues. He explains, "We start by quoting the roof done the way we would do our own. But we can give the customer options for fewer layers in certain places that can make some cost differences."

Royal Roofing Company & Steve Pinkus For the Most Experience, With Over 30 Years In Business

This is an industry where it's common for companies to go in and out of business quickly. It can be because they are doing shoddy work due to lack of experience, or are intentionally cheating customers with faulty material.  But there are also some that claim decades of experience but it's under a succession of different state license numbers which allows them to leave previous problems behind.   So it's significant that Royal Roofing has over three decades in business due to satisfied customers and good reputation and also that all those years have been on the same state license number. Royal Roofing is acknowledged so much as an expert that owner Steve Pinkus is often asked for guidance by consumer reporters, and from consumers out of the area.

Orange County resident Steve Pinkus lives in Huntington Beach with his wife of 26 years and they have two children in college.   The son of a Delta rocket engineer, Steve was recruited to join Royal Roofing in 1980 doing customer outreach because of his communication skills and ability to relate to people. He went on to become an owner in 1993 and his passion for doing right by customers has been a guiding light for the high ethics and value Royal Roofing gives customers. Steve shares his pride in the long-term employees who make that happen. "Our crew and foreman are just fantastic people and they've been with us for many years. In an industry where so many other companies attract workers with substance abuse or gang issues, I'm grateful for each one of our guys every day. Our customers often praise them for how conscientious and clean they are, in addition to really knowing their craft."

He continued, "Like one customer who took the time to write a letter.  The day of her job was 107 degrees out so probably about 170 degrees rooftop.  She wrote to say that your men not only swept up, but they blew the yard clean, and hosed it clean, all after working all day in that incredible heat, and that if any other customer wants to know how we are, she could tell what a great organization it is given how conscientious we were on one of the hottest days."

Rather than be cheated with factory reject materials, or incur the risk of companies sending sketchy laborers they barely know to your property, and ones without the motivation to do a good job for you because they're a fly-by-night soon to go under or change their name and license to hide from previous problems, consumers who reported to us insisted that Royal Roofing and owner Steve Pinkus was the honest one with the most experience, and jobs that last decades like they should. Like one named Dan who reported to us, "In regards to the work that Steve Pinkus from Royal Roofing performed, our roof was an absolute mess. They reroofed the entire roof for us and I couldn't be happier. They did such a tremendous job. He was very price competitive. I can't say enough about Steve and Royal Roofing. They were very professional and did a fantastic job. I absolutely recommend Steve Pinkus and Royal Roofing to do work for you."