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My good friend is a fellow teacher. She has two young children and is married. Last March her insurance company issued her a 15,000 dollar check for weather damage to her roof. Although she lives in Parma she went with a company based in the Akron/Canton area for the job (she trusted word of mouth). The company is a member of Angies list. This company took her 15,000 check back in March, told her the job would be done around July 4, and never showed up. She's had to continually call them to get info and they either ignore her call or give her some random time frame. - Today they told her "by the end of October". She's called the Ohio Attorney General, the BBB, the local police, etc. I did some checking and have noticed they have recently received a lot of complaints. I told her to email all correspondence with them and that the only way she might get any results is through a letter from an attorney. The point of all this: Have any of you dealt with any of this before and know a direction I can point her in? Thanks in advance.
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Legend
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Legend
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Contact the Ohio Attorney General, and the local or county prosecutor and ask for the best way to legally recover her money.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Legend
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Legend
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I would guess around there, as around here, local news stations love things like this. I can't think of the names of the teams in Toledo..... nightly news shows that investigate this type of thing, then report on it.
Someone from Toledo, or the area, help me out. I'm totally drawing a blank.
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Legend
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Legend
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Have an attorney contact them. Hopefully she has a written contract. It would be good if that contract had an approximate commencement date.
Also, sometimes small contracting outfits have hired help or money issues, don't be afraid to directly address the owner and tell them if they are just honest and tell you what is holding up the work exactly that you will work with them to resolve this. You might get the real story and then know better how to resolve.
Last edited by OldColdDawg; 09/24/19 05:10 AM.
Your feelings and opinions do not add up to facts.
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My good friend is a fellow teacher. She has two young children and is married. Last March her insurance company issued her a 15,000 dollar check for weather damage to her roof. Although she lives in Parma she went with a company based in the Akron/Canton area for the job (she trusted word of mouth). The company is a member of Angies list. This company took her 15,000 check back in March, told her the job would be done around July 4, and never showed up. She's had to continually call them to get info and they either ignore her call or give her some random time frame. - Today they told her "by the end of October". She's called the Ohio Attorney General, the BBB, the local police, etc. I did some checking and have noticed they have recently received a lot of complaints. I told her to email all correspondence with them and that the only way she might get any results is through a letter from an attorney. The point of all this: Have any of you dealt with any of this before and know a direction I can point her in? Thanks in advance. Don't even mess around. Have her contact an attorney and draft an intent to sue letter. Have it served to them formally. have them sued for the 15K, legal fees, and interest lost from the money.
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Joined: Sep 2006
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Legend
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Legend
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Around here it is somewhat a regular occurrence.
Small company pops up, does business a few years, but are always paying the last jobs bills with the next jobs money.
Then the last few customers get stuck with no money and no work done, and the company just shuts down, and disappears.
Even worse for the customer when work gets started and they get Notice To Owners, essentially saying they are responsible for the cost of materials and labor provided by any subcontractor sending the NTO, if the general contractor does not pay.
I have seen people on the hook for bills even after they paid the GC.
Last edited by FloridaFan; 09/24/19 09:37 AM.
We don't have to agree with each other, to respect each others opinion.
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Legend
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Legend
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My good friend is a fellow teacher. She has two young children and is married. Last March her insurance company issued her a 15,000 dollar check for weather damage to her roof. Although she lives in Parma she went with a company based in the Akron/Canton area for the job (she trusted word of mouth). The company is a member of Angies list. This company took her 15,000 check back in March, told her the job would be done around July 4, and never showed up. She's had to continually call them to get info and they either ignore her call or give her some random time frame. - Today they told her "by the end of October". She's called the Ohio Attorney General, the BBB, the local police, etc. I did some checking and have noticed they have recently received a lot of complaints. I told her to email all correspondence with them and that the only way she might get any results is through a letter from an attorney. The point of all this: Have any of you dealt with any of this before and know a direction I can point her in? Thanks in advance. Don't even mess around. Have her contact an attorney and draft an intent to sue letter. Have it served to them formally. have them sued for the 15K, legal fees, and interest lost from the money. This 100%. No more baby-steps, no more grief. If they don't respond immediately you were headed to the same place anyway.
HERE WE GO BROWNIES! HERE WE GO!!
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Legend
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Legend
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Have her call one of my buddies here in Youngstown. For a few hundred bucks they will make sure those guys do the work right.
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Legend
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Legend
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I think the advice for hiring the attorney and sending a letter of intent is very good advice.
Also contacting the media is good advice. No company likes bad press.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
#gmstrong
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Legend
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Legend
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I’m with the majority of you all ... contact legal advance right away and don’t mess around
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
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Legend
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Legend
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I have a question: Is that how it works in other places, where you pay BEFORE the work even starts?
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Dawg Talker
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Not where I live but like you Arch, I live in a small town and most people use local contractors who can't afford to cheat customers because word is out tomorrow if that happens.
Also I work for a bank and construction loan draws to contractors do not happen until I inspect the property to make sure the work is on course per the contract and then the company official signs a lien waiver when they receive a check from us. For their convenience I will take the check to the site if that helps.
We do allow a small percentage paid upfront to a contractor but it needs to be consistent with the contract also.
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Legend
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Legend
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Thanks. I just wondered. I don't operate that way, but I'm not doing 10,000 plus jobs.
Company that roofed our house, and sided it 7 or 8 years ago didn't operate that way either. I made 2 payments. 1 when the roof was done. 1 when the siding was done.
But, I get it - small town vs. city. Knowing people vs. not having a clue who they are, both ways.
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Thanks for the advice guys. Yeah I think it's time for her to contact an attorney. I don't want to get her hopes down but I've got a feeling she's not getting her money back. She did all of this back in March before I knew her and just told me about it a couple weeks ago. Not a bright idea to hand over a check that big to somebody you don't know. In her defense, the same company had done some work on her in-laws house. Hopefully she can make it through the winter without any more damage to her roof and then her attorney can get a few of the guy's/company's assets that ripped her off.. I reached out to an attorney friend of mine for her. I'll keep everybody posted. Some people are just plain s*umbags.
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Legend
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Legend
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Several questions:
Why would your friend pay in full in advance? A contractor asking for money up front is an obvious red flag.
If they can’t afford to cover the upfront costs of the project, run!
Where is the wife’s husband? Why isn’t he at this guy’s office each and every day?
People have advised contacting an attorney to hold the contractor accountable , be prepared to lose more money. It’s likely the guy has blown the money. Recovering small claims can be a nightmare.
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Legend
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Legend
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Chances are there are others in line with you. Get that attorney yesterday.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir
#GMSTRONG
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Agreed 100%
I also think the money is gone and whomever owns the company is a complete scumbag who takes advantage of our legal system. - I checked the BBB and the 8 most recent comments about the company were people in the same boat as her. Guy is taking money with no plans to do the work.
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Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
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She sounds like a very trusting person.
Unfortunately, people like that can get hosed. I would never, ever, ever, pay up front for something like that.
![[Linked Image from i28.photobucket.com]](http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/shadedog/mcenroe2.jpg) gmstrong ----------------- 2023: The year we got a legit D.
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Legend
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Legend
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I just discovered this thread. I don't want to sound like a know-it-all or a parrot of other people, but I think that it's important to reiterate to never agree to pay up-front for jobs like this one.
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All Pro
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All Pro
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I have a question: Is that how it works in other places, where you pay BEFORE the work even starts? That was her first mistake, paying in full before any work started. I've never heard of it working that way. Buying materials up front isn't out of the ordinary. Contact an attorney and seek relief that way.
I'm grateful for Browns football.
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Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Roofing company ripping off my
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