Consumer Beware – Mainely Roofing and Siding and Tony Glidden FOLLOW UP

By: Maine Journal News Team – This article contains commentary that reflects the authors’ opinions

July 5, 2021

On June 20, 2021, we posted an article about Mainely Roofing and Siding, LLC and its owner, Tony Glidden. You can read the first installment HERE. Since our article was posted, we have received an untold number of messages and information surrounding Glidden and Mainely Roofing including emails we received from Glidden himself.

By all accounts, Tony Glidden is a smooth and charismatic salesman. The issue, however, is people like Brandy Marriner to whom he promised a refund by June 1, 2021. As of this writing, Marriner has still not received the promised refund from Glidden. Glidden also complains that he needs to feed his family and 4 kids. Glidden is single and does not have children unless he’s referring to his high school friend’s children. Glidden moans that the negative review left by Marriner cost him a $25,000 job. One could reasonably argue that Glidden’s own business practices cost him the job but when one doesn’t take responsibility for one’s own shortcomings, it’s easier to blame others.

We also recently received a message from a retired disabled veteran who is owed a $4,500 refund from Glidden and Mainely Roofing and Siding. When the disabled veteran asked for his money back, Glidden told him he could pay him back in installments. When the customer asked for a full refund as he is retired, disabled and on a limited income, Glidden accused the disabled veteran of harassing him.

After our first article appeared, we received an email from Tony Glidden at 2:36 am. One would think if Glidden is working so hard to complete customers’ jobs, he would be sleeping at 2:36 am and getting rest for the big work day in the morning not sending emails to Maine Journal News. Let’s break this email down. Glidden claims he is “making those mistakes right.” Our questions is to whom are you making them right? There are multiple people still waiting for Glidden to make it right. A “hard on for you,” Tony? Not on your best day.

Gidden calls the local news stories of his arrest in March “bullshit.” The Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office and the 83 year old Belgrade woman don’t think it’s “bullshit.” I wonder whether Glidden has reached out to the DA’s office to see if they would take possession of the $25,000 refund so the 83 year old woman doesn’t have to wait for Glidden’s court date?

Glidden seems to think that promising refunds and never sending them, giving excuse after excuse after excuse for crews not showing up and causing customers to be sued by Hammond Lumber means that he is merely “behind.” We understand perfectly. How many roofing and siding supply companies give Mainely Roofing and Siding credit for purchases and how many require cash payments at pickup? Or does Mainely Roofing and Siding have customers order and pay for the materials themselves?

Maine Journal News responded to Glidden’s email explaining that our article could have had zero impact on his weekend sales since our article didn’t come out until Sunday night.

Glidden said it would be the last we heard from him. That was untrue. Glidden claims he’s had to refund over $50,000. Perhaps he’s HAD to refund that amount but according to these customers: Joann Smith, 78, has yet to receive her refund; Brandy Marriner has yet to receive her refund; Mark Cotter has yet to receive his refund; Corey Matheson has yet to receive a refund; the retired disabled veteran has not received his refund; and the list goes on. In the next breath, Glidden says “deposits are non-refundable.” Reading Glidden’s emails with contradictory statements from one sentence to the next is like the reading version of watching a long volley at the men’s tennis finals at Wimbledon. If it’s possible to have verbal whiplash, then I’m going to need some sort of brace.

I have no idea what “chuck in a truck” means. Perhaps it’s a roofer reference? Glidden claims he has never “stolen” from anyone. Glidden mentions a long time reputable roofing company called C.O. Beck. I imagine that we haven’t written about C.O. Beck because they have been in business for 17 years and have a stellar reputation in the roofing world. Mainely Roofing and Siding has been in business a little over a year.

In some bad attempt at reverse psychology, Glidden has continuously thanked Maine Journal News for increasing his impressions and sales. The hashtag “see you in court” brings joy to my heart because that means discovery. Glidden should ask Melissa and Donald Levesque about the discovery process and how well that ended for them. Then again, he’d have to come up with a retainer for an attorney and I don’t see that happening any time soon. Such a shame. We LOVE discovery.

Shortly after news of Glidden’s arrest in March 2021 was published by local media outlets, Glidden took to Facebook in this now deleted post.

When someone commented on the above (deleted) post, this is how Glidden responded. “People need to learn that if they don’t wanna [sic} follow what the contractors company is offering they should do the work themselves.” I’m not a contractor but Maine Journal News has talked to several reputable contractors who indicate this is not how they conduct business. If a customer wants their deposit back, they IMMEDIATELY return the deposit. There is no such thing as non-refundable deposits and the reputable contractors don’t take more than 1/3 of the contract price up front. One reputable contractor told us when he takes a deposit, he immediately orders the materials and has them on site within 48 hours.

One of the words we’ve seen repeatedly used to describe Glidden is “narcissist.” Glidden sent this message to a customer indicating he has fallen on hard times but brags to Maine Journal News that he did $2 million in sales in his first year. Something doesn’t add up.

We decided to look up narcissist and came across this article in a Harvard Business Review. We’ve already mentioned that many people have also claimed that Glidden is a charming and charismatic salesman. The last line appears to be particularly important.

As many customers who have asked for a refund are finding out, the seductive powers appear to have worn off some time ago despite. One form of manipulation is Glidden urging friends to leave positive Facebook reviews for his business even though they’ve not had any work completed (Note: The review section of Mainely Roofing and Siding, LLC is no longer visible).

It appears despite an alleged $2 million in sales, the karma bus is beginning its long trek downhill. Next stop. Glidden. One of the excuses for the work delays that several customers have reported to Maine Journal News is that Glidden told them his truck was stolen. It seems as though it may have actually happened this time.

His website isn’t active.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, his company is not in good standing with the corporation division.

Why do we write articles like this? First, we don’t like people to be taken advantage and knowledge is power. Second, we don’t want anyone else to end up in the same situation as all of the people who have written to us with claims of being victimized by Glidden. Many of these people cannot afford to lose thousands of dollars nor should they have to lose it. If you live in Kennebec County and are owed money from Glidden, the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Offices urges you to contact them to file a complaint so that they can put all complaints together to submit to the District Attorney’s Office. If you make a complaint, please tell the responding deputy to alert Deputy Lynch to the complaint.

Next up in our series, who is Patrick Hamilton and how did he die?