We Buy Estate Jewelry in Summerville, SC

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) — Several people across the Lowcountry are reporting a similar experience after paying to have their roofs replaced on their homes, handing over the money, and then hearing nothing back.

After a strong storm moved through the area of the summer, homeowners in Summerville were told their roofs were damaged by hail. It came after severe weather moved through Dorchester and Berkeley counties in June, damaging homes, knocking over trees and leaving behind a path of debris.

Ellen Davis said the storm clean-up brought sales representatives from several roofing companies to her door.

“Just wanting to do a free estimate of potential hail damage from the storm,” she explained.

Davis said her roof had other issues and she decided to call the company Orange Elephant Roofing, after seeing her neighbor speaking to them.

“I spoke to the salesman, he came back the very next day and he asked if he could please get on my roof and do a free inspection,” she said. “Since I already had this other damage I finally allowed him onto the roof and that’s when he found the hail damage.”

A claim was filed with her insurance company and at the end of August she gave Orange Elephant Roofing the insurance check which totaled a little more than $20,000.

Davis said the general manager and sales representative came back to get the check. They told her they would begin the work in October. However, in mid-September, Davis said she started to see some red flags.

‘i reached out to my salesperson and he then informed me that he no longer worked for the company,” she recalled. “He also proceeded to send me a text showing me that their HR Department said we would not be making payroll this week.

Davis said the last time she heard from the company was in early November.

“The general manager spoke to me he told me that my roof would be being done on November 1st,” she said. Shortly after that, I did get a text from him ‘didn’t work for the company anymore, so sorry’ — that would probably be the last time.”

As it turns out, Davis wasn’t the only one. She found out that her neighbor, Lachelle Brooks, was dealing with the same problem.

“We turned a check over to them and we have not heard anything since then.”

Brooks said her insurance company agreed to pay for half of the work upfront and the other half once the job was complete. She handed over a check for $6,500, and like Davis, has not heard back.

“August is when I should be ready to hear from everyone about the new roof, I contacted someone late August and they were like ‘Oh no, we have you on the schedule for February 2025,” Brooks explained. “I was like ‘I wouldn’t have went with you guys — can I get my money back?’ And he goes ‘I understand your frustration but we are gonna try to work it out so you can get everything done in September.’ But didn’t hear anything after that.”

Davis and Brooks said their insurance companies are not getting involved, and they have not been able to contact Orange Elephant Roofing as several employees have left the company.

News 2 tried calling two numbers listed for Orange Elephant and neither call went through. We are told no one is available at their King Street location either.

However, Orange Elephant is currently being sued over debts they owe. On October 31, Gulfeagle Supply, a roofing and building product distributor, filed a lawsuit for breach of contract accusing Orange Elephant of failing to pay for materials totaling nearly $18,000.

As for Brooks and Davis, they are frustrated and hope they can get their money back. Davis said the situation will also change the way she does business moving forward.

“Probably let my guard down by letting someone come to my front door and I probably should’ve reached out to a roofing company myself and maybe looked around more around my neighbors and asking them who they used,” Davis said. “I really want my money back and I want to get somebody else to do my roof.”

Another roofing company is now stepping up to help those who are in similar situations with Orange Elephant Roofing. Patriot Roofing said they will do the work at cost for anyone who can provide proper documentation.

Read Next >

Read Next >

Next story

Read Next >

in

Updated: Nov. 11, 2024 at 4:59 PM PST

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The 12th annual Summerville Italian Feast raised a record number of funds this year that all go directly back into the classrooms of Dorchester School District Two.

The event and executive director for the Summerville Italian Feast, Jay Lombardo, said that the goal has always been to try and increase how much they are able to provide each year to support the school district.

“Our first year we had approximately seven vendors and maybe one thousand people showed up. This year we had 108 vendors and we estimated a crowd of somewhere between 15,000 and 17,000 people in a one-day period,” Lombardo said.

Lombardo said this year they were able to give back $40,000 to the Dorchester Two Educational Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to support the students and teachers in Dorchester School District Two.

He said that the total includes proceeds from the Italian Feast portion of the event as well as their Second Annual Meatball Run.

“We had hoped to always increase year after year. My goal, it would’ve been nice to give them a fairly good size check. We’re not going to be able to give them a good size check, we’re going to give them a phenomenal check. We’re going to give them a check for $40,000 this year,” Lombardo said.

Lombardo said that is more than double what they were able to raise last year which was $15,500.

The Meatball Run is something that was added last year. Lombardo said last year they had about 220 runners participate and this year they doubled that number to 440.

The executive director for the Dorchester Two Educational Foundation, Ralph Hayes, said that events like this one are crucial for the school district for the success of their teachers and students because of the lack of funding.

He said that they take the money raised from the event and use it towards classroom teacher projects.

“The teachers will reach out and say this is something I want whether it’s a STEM kit, or a reading initiative, or an art set, and these are things that are not covered by traditional funding,” Hayes said. “Dorchester Two is the fifth lowest funded school district of over eighty school districts in South Carolina and that makes partners like the Summerville Italian Feast, who are investing in our kids, absolutely vital.”

Hayes will be awarding Lombardo and his team with a trophy at the school board meeting on Monday for their hard work and contributing more than $100,000 to District Two over the last decade.

Hayes said that they had people come from all across the state to participate in the event. He highlighted that the growth wouldn’t be possible without the help from their students providing entertainment as well as volunteering.

“We’re excited to see that we are a staple of the local community, but we’re also providing a resource that is having people come in to see all of the wonderful things that Dorchester County has to offer. From the food, from the artists to our wonderful students, and also to the amazing volunteers like Jay and the Italian Feast team who help put on this event,” Hayes said.

Lombardo said that next year’s Meatball Run is going to be on Oct. 11 and the Italian Feast will be on Oct. 12.

Hayes said that the Dorchester Two Educational Foundation has a free moonlit movie night event coming up on Dec. 14 at McKissick Stadium featuring crafts, games and a holiday movie. You can find more information on their Facebook page.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Editor's note: In collaboration with the Summerville Journal Scene, the Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum to provide a platform for candidates in races impacting Dorchester County to share their positions on key local issues. The event occurred Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Faith Sellers Senior Center in Summerville. The following information was compiled from that event.

Tom Fernandez (R)

Limited Government: Advocated for minimal government intervention, stressing that the government should avoid economic matters.

Workforce Development: Argued that building the workforce is not the government's responsibility. Businesses thrive by lowering taxes and removing regulations.

Affordable Childcare: Opposed subsidizing affordable childcare, instead calling for the removal of red tape to allow businesses to succeed.

Permitting: Called to eliminate unnecessary permitting processes, suggesting a one-by-one approach to eliminate them.

Improving Schools: Supported school choice, advocating for parents to have the freedom to choose how to educate their children.

Closing Remark: Emphasized that the country, state, and county are in trouble and called for senators with the courage to say "no" to wrongdoers. Fernandez positioned himself as a servant to the people, ready to stand up for what's right.

Summary: Fernandez stressed the need for minimal government intervention. He stated that the government should not be involved in workforce development and the best way to support businesses is to lower taxes and eliminate regulations. Fernandez opposed subsidizing affordable childcare, believing removing red tape would allow businesses to flourish. As for permitting, he called for the removal of unnecessary processes to streamline business operations. He also advocated for school choice, urging that parents should have the freedom to decide how to educate their children. In his closing remarks, Fernandez highlighted the challenges facing the country, state and county, calling for strong senators who can stand up to wrongdoing and offering himself as a servant to the people with the courage to do just that.

For more information, visit tomfernandezforsenate.com.

Vernon Stephens (D) (incumbent)

Continuity in Senate: Emphasized the importance of staying in the Senate to complete the initiatives he has already started.

Workforce Development: Leveraged his background working with schools and industries to implement training programs to improve the workforce and enhance the educational system.

Childcare: Stressed the importance of ensuring daycare facilities meet standards and supported individuals wanting to establish daycare centers.

State Permitting: Highlighted the dismantling of DHEC as a step toward expediting the permitting process.

Education: Advocated for retaining quality teachers and engaging parents in the education system to improve education in South Carolina.

Closing Remark: Urged voters to reelect him, promising to stand for their rights, listen to their voices, vote accordingly, and work across party lines.

Summary: While running for re-election in District 39, Vernon Stephens emphasized the importance of continuity in the senate to finish the work he had begun. With a background in education and industry, he discussed his efforts to implement training programs to improve the workforce and address educational needs. Stephens also highlighted the necessity of maintaining daycare facilities' standards while supporting those wanting to establish new childcare centers. He pointed to the dismantling of DHEC to expedite the state permitting process. He stressed the need for retaining quality teachers and increasing parent engagement in education. In closing, Stephens pledged to stand for people's rights, listen to their concerns and work across the aisle to make meaningful progress.

For more information, visit www.stephensforsc.com/.