Premier Roofcare sets up fundraiser for local Strood couple after scam

After cowboy builders convinced Malcolm Bishop of Strood that his roof was in desperate need of fixing and swindled the 71-year-old out of £73,000, Strood-based company Premier Roofcare has agreed to help fix the horrendous damage that has been caused.

The three men who ran the scam used Premier Roofcare’s credentials in order to avoid suspicion, whilst telling Mr Bishop to not call the company’s headquarters where Lee Austin, the managing director, is based.

Mr Austin became aware of what was happening once Mr Bishop began to have serious doubts about how reputable these three men were.  He rang the main office and Mr Austin was, of course, horrified to hear what damage had been caused to the 71-year-old’s home (where he lives with his wife Jill, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis)  in the space of just two weeks and how much the scammers had gotten away with.

It was with this, Mr Austin vowed to fix the disastrous situation and set to work contacting suppliers in order to gather materials for the job.

The overall cost to repair the damage is estimated at £12,000.  Mr Austin has set up a GoFundMe page to help with half of this cost.  At the time of writing, £3,890 has already been pledged with the fundraiser having only been setup six days ago – an amazing sign of community spirit and people coming together in times of trouble.

The roof has a temporary covering on it which was arranged by Premier Roofcare and the local fire brigade.

On the fundraising page, it states, ‘We will be supplying [the] majority of materials ourselves and just need a bit of help covering cost of some materials.

‘Anything left over or raised above this can go to the couple.’

A selfless act of kindness from a truly inspirational company along with the help of communities, businesses and suppliers.

If you can help, please visit the GoFundMe page, here.

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