Troubleshooter helps homeowner get money back from remodeler
DURHAM (WTVD) -- When you hire someone to remodel your home, you expect them to hold up their end of the deal -- especially when you pay a majority of the price upfront. Unfortunately for one Triangle homeowner, this was not the case.
Wayne Johnson was left with only a pile of materials after he hired CRC Construction Company to put new siding on his home.
"It's extremely frustrating. It makes you not trust people," Johnson said.
Johnson said he trusted the owner of the company, Ronnie Chris Carpenter, because of a certificate of liability insurance he had. Johnson put close to $3,183 down for materials.
"Took the check for the materials, promised to come out to do the siding on the house, worked for four hours and never came back," Johnson said.
Johnson kept calling Carpenter but said he couldn't get him back to finish the job.
"It's frustrating because you lost all of that money and you wanted your house to look halfway decent," Johnson said.
Johnson reached out to ABC 11 and we called Carpenter several times. While he never got back to us, criminal investigators with the Department of Insurance caught up with Carpenter and charged him with obtaining property under false pretenses.
Investigators allege Carpenter provided a fraudulent certificate of liability insurance to secure Johnson's contract.
"I'd like to think I don't totally lose my faith in people, but it does shake your faith in people," Johnson said.
While the arrest gave Johnson some relief, what was even more surprising was the check he received in the mail shortly after.
Carpenter sent Johnson a full refund of the $3,183 he paid as a deposit for the job.
Now, Johnson can find another contractor to complete the job he has been wanting for months.
The best advice is to double check the paperwork contractors give you.
As for Carpenter, the investigators told us this was not the first time he was accused of providing false information. He was also arrested in the fall for similar allegations.
