Compare Each Roofer's Restocking Charge If You Cancel After the Order

Once you authorize a roof order, the shingles can leave the supplier before the crew has set a tear-off date. A cancellation after that point is not free for anyone, and the roofing bids on your table will not all handle it the same way. Some put a restocking charge on returned bundles. Some charge for special-order colors that cannot go back on the shelf. Some say nothing and leave you to find the answer when you call to change your mind. This page is for the homeowner who has two or three bids open and needs to know what backing out would cost under each one.

Roofer comparison: where the cancellation line lives

Start by finding the clause, not the promise. A roofer may tell you on the phone that changing your mind is no problem, and that may be true in practice. The contract is what binds the price if the roofer has already bought materials for your house. Read each proposal for three things: the point at which the order is placed, the notice you must give before that point, and the charge if you give notice after it.

The order point is often a signature or a deposit. In some bids it is the moment the materials are ordered for your address, which can happen the day after you sign. In others it is a later step the roofer lists as the ordering date, such as the day the permit is pulled. Ask the roofer to put the date on the paper. A line that says materials are ordered at contract execution gives you a very different window than one that ties the order to a permit or a scheduled start.

Next, check the notice period. Some contracts ask for written notice a set number of days before the scheduled start. Others only ask for notice before materials are ordered, which means the window closes on a date you may not know. A phone call usually does not count as written notice unless the contract says it does. Send any cancellation by email or certified mail, and keep a copy with the date on it.

Then look at what the roofer keeps. Common wording covers a restocking fee on returned shingles, a charge for custom-matched or special-order items, labor already spent on the estimate or the material count, and any permit fee paid to the county or city. Each of these is a separate number. A bid that looks cheaper on the front page may carry a larger charge in the cancellation paragraph, so compare the two numbers side by side rather than trusting the total.

What it costs

A cancellation charge has two parts: the materials that cannot be returned and the labor the roofer has already spent. Shingles in standard colors may be returnable to a supplier, but usually with a restocking fee taken from the credit. Bundles that have been opened, cut, or stored in a way that damages the wrapper often cannot go back at all. Specialty items such as ridge caps, starter strips, or a non-standard shade are the most likely to be lost in full. Ask each roofer which of these categories your order falls into before you decide what a change would cost.

Labor is less visible. An estimate visit, a roof measurement, and the drafting of a written scope all take time. Some roofers write that cancellation after the estimate triggers a fee for that work. Others write nothing and absorb it. Neither approach is unusual, but you should know which one applies before you sign.

Timing changes the number. An order placed in late winter for a spring start is usually simpler to cancel than one placed in June, when supplier stock moves faster and the roofer has less room to reshuffle a crew. Hail season in St. Louis runs through the spring and early summer, and roofers are often booked solid for those months. A cancellation then may be harder to fill for the next homeowner on the calendar, which is why some contracts set a higher fee for late changes.

Also check whether the cancellation fee is a flat number or a percentage of the material cost. A flat fee of a few hundred dollars looks small on a large order. A percentage applied to the full contract can be much bigger. Write the figure down, and ask the roofer to confirm it in the email you send with your questions.

What to ask

Put these questions to each roofer in writing before you choose. The answers are short, and the replies themselves show you how the company handles a change.

• On what date will you place the shingle order for my address?
• What written notice do I need to give, how many days ahead, and by what method?
• Is there a restocking fee on returned standard shingles, and is it a percentage or a flat amount?
• Which items on my order, such as specialty colors, ridge caps, or starter strips, cannot be returned at all?
• Does the cancellation charge include the estimate and measurement labor, and if so, what is that figure?
• If the change comes from a delay outside my control, such as a permit that takes longer than expected, does the same charge apply?
• Will you put the cancellation terms in the signed contract, not only in an email?

Keys Roofing installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles, and any question about how a particular order would be handled should go to the office at (314) 220-2333 so the answer comes from the company that holds the order. Ask for the cancellation paragraph by name when you call, and ask that the answer be sent to you in writing.

When you compare two cancellation terms, you are comparing how much room you keep to change your mind. A bid that lets you back out until a fixed date for a modest fee gives you space to change your color, scope, or timing. A bid that orders materials at signing and charges heavily after that leaves you bound sooner. The difference should be on the page before you decide, and it should be the same page you read the price from.