Contractor Threatens Libel

Remember the roof the flew off? In that post, I mentioned that I was waiting for Reach Out and Build (ROaB) to get back to me. It turns out, they did reply through email. Here's what they had to say:

Note how they omitted the most important part in defining the word libel: that the statements must be FALSE. They already know everything in the blog posts as I sent them numerous text and emails complete with pictures. I based my posts on my correspondence with them, so there's actually more information in my emails to them than there are in the blog posts.

Here's my response:

Yes, folks - this is the kind of people you'll be dealing with if you hire them. Most companies when faced with complaints will attempt to rectify the situation and try to make amends. ROaB will cry libel if they don't like what you have to say.

The thing is, if they had done a good job to begin with, they would have gotten a different review. I was talking to another contractor who inspected the carport yesterday, and she told me that had ROaB used flat bars, the roof would have lasted at least two years. But only two since the polycarbonate they used is the really thin and cheap type which gets brittle easily.

They have since taken off the option to write a review on their Facebook page, but this incident has since made me wonder. All those who post reviews about restaurants, wedding coordinators, etc., where they had a terrible experience and they name the person who made them miserable, did the ones they complain about file a libel case against them? Earl and I think though, that is the contractor's way of getting out of their responsibility.

Can you imagine if the wind had blown the roof in another direction and hit a house, a passing car, or worse - a person out on the street?