Does hiring a "Class A" contractor get you "Class A" quality?
Last year Mitre Contracting, Inc. was contracted to rebuild a customer's front porch. The customer had the porch repaired about 5-8 years earlier for the same reason; water damage. Upon initial inspection you could see it had extensive water damage and was beyond a simple repair job. The rot was through the roof sheathing, down into the joists, cornice and ceiling.
The porch was relatively small consisting of an almost flat roof with a decorative rail, supported by a couple columns.
As we got into the demo we could see the reasons for the damage. 
- Improper installation of the roofing materials & an improper application for this roof.
- Damage to the newly installed roofing when they installed the rail posts.
Without getting into details, the previous contractor had simply put on some drip edging then laid down a membrane without adhering it. Then to top that off, when they installed the rail system they simply screwed the little post brackets they used, through the roofing and applied some caulking over the screw heads.
Needless to say this project had water problems from the day that contractor walked off with the check.
I would find out later that the contractor they hired is a "Class A" contractor. They even have a website that promotes their "Class A" status. I've since encountered many home improvement contractor's websites that recommend homeowners only give their business to "Class A" contractors, in order to get quality workmanship. I feel that position is misleading and shortsighted. I've met more than a few people who have their Class A license, that I would never let work on my home.
I'm not questioning the character of any contractor. You can have impeccable character and the best of intentions and still lack the know how or skills for certain projects. Just because a company has one representative that qualifies and gets an "Class A" license, doesn't automatically mean that the company as a whole or the people they hire are all of a sudden extra qualified. I would bet that a whole lot of so called "Class A" contractors in this area, sub out some of their work to unlicensed companies and even to day laborers.
I feel that quality workmanship comes from improving your skills through years of experience, enjoying your work, knowing the products, and having a desire to be the best at what you do.
The point that I'm trying to get across by this one example is that just because a contractor has a "Class A" license doesn't mean your going to get "Class A" workmanship.
"Class A" is not synonymous with "Quality"
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