Shingles Company Sells Defective Shingles, Won't Honor Warranty: Customers

Pamela Tucker's Fort Worth home looks normal, but in January, she learned of a major problem that she just couldn't see.

"I had a neighbor taking down Christmas lights and he knocked on my front door and said, 'Pam, do you know your roof is coming apart?'" Tucker explained.

Tucker brought in a roofer to take photos of the shingles.

“He told me he hadn't seen anything like this,” she said. “They’re cracking. They're splitting. They're coming apart on the end.”

She said the roof is just under 10 years old. Tucker hired a roofer who picked out shingles from TAMKO, a building products company.

“They manufacture shingles, which carry a 50 year warranty,” she said. “That's why I bought it, because it was going to last for a long time.”

But according to the roofer, these shingles were no good. He told her to give TAMKO a call.

“They told me they would send me the forms to fill out and then to return the form along with two of the shingles that were taken off of my roof,” Tucker said.

A representative eventually came out to examine the shingles.

She said the TAMKO employee agreed this was not normal for a roof that had been on a house for less than 10 years.

But despite his observation, TAMKO denied her claim, saying the warranty covers manufacturing defects "directly resulting in leaks."

“They are telling me if your roof doesn't leak we're not going to do a darn thing about it,” Tucker explained. “We don't care if it splits. We don't care if it cracks."

According to TAMKO, "shingles, like most things, will not last forever and undergo a gradual, natural aging process."

TAMKO also sent her a brochure entitled “How to Read Your Roof.”

Tucker said a representative told her all of this information was printed on the shingles packaging.

“It is absolutely disgusting,” she said. “You sold me a product. You warrantied that product to me for 50 years…I'm angry!”

The NBC 5 Responds team learned that she's not the only one angry with TAMKO.

Consumers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois and Kentucky have filed class action lawsuits against the company, claiming TAMKO’s shingles are "plagued by design and/or manufacturing flaws that result in the shingles becoming brittle, cracking, curling...yet defendant continues to sell the shingles to the public and continues to make false representations and warranties despite the fact that the shingles are defective and will prematurely fail."

TAMKO moved to dismiss the claims in the complaint filed in California, saying "TAMKO denies knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth or falsity of each and every allegation contained in the complaint."

The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit are seeking damages, attorney fees and other relief "as a result of TAMKO’s negligence."

But Tucker says she doesn't want a dime.

“The only thing I want is a roof. Honor that warranty!”

TAMKO tells NBC 5 Responds their warranty is printed on their products packaging and it can also be found online.

But they've decided to review Ms. Tucker's claim and should know something in about a week.

Let this be a reminder to all consumers:

• When your product is under warranty, always read the fine print.
• Research every company you do business with before you hand over any money.
• You're advised to get your roof inspected every three to five years.