County resident scammed warns to beware unsavory contractors

Letter to the Editor
As more and more people are purchasing and improving properties in the County, I feel it is important for the public to be aware when there are unsavory contractors out there ripping people off.

I recently had an encounter with a local contractor who provided a quote for repair work to be done on a home.

The materials would be special order and he requested a large deposit to purchase these. I felt this was not an unusual or unreasonable request for a smaller contractor and the fellow came across as trustworthy so I provided a deposit – just under $10,000 – for him to purchase the materials so that he could complete the renovations. When these materials never materialized and several start dates were changed, it became abundantly clear that this person had no intention of providing the materials that I had paid for.

When I confronted him about this he continue to lie. I followed up with some of the material suppliers he indicated he has ordered from and they’ve never received any orders.

I have contacted the police in the matter and was assured by the initial responding officer that if this person did not reimburse the money or provide the materials, this was a case of fraud as he had not completed any work or fulfilled any portion of the contract that was signed.

At the time of this writing I am approaching the two-month mark in waiting and hoping for the return of my money or for charges to be laid.

Initially the police wanted to give him an opportunity to make this right on his own. He has lied to them as well about his intention for paying me back with stories about providing bank memos and certified cheques. When we follow up, nothing has been processed. He doesn’t deny any of it, he really can’t as I have a quote with his signature and acknowledgement of a deposit as well as e-transfer receipts.

In doing a little research, I see that I’m not alone on the list of people who have been scammed by this fellow. My sincere hope is that with some awareness, he won’t have the same level of success on his next scam victim.

Gail Miller