Jul. 16—LOWVILLE — A contractor knocking on homeowners' doors to offer deep discounts on driveway repaving — using "excess" materials from previous jobs — offered "deals" that were, as the adage says, too good to be true, prompting a warning from law enforcement.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office issued a warning for homeowners "to use caution when being approached by companies offering to do work for a reduced rate," according to their news release.
Over the weekend, Deputy Keith Bush learned a paving company used "sketchy" practices to entice at least two county homeowners into verbal agreements.
"One incident (the original complaint) was called in by a gentleman who... was kind of skeptical. A company had shown up, stated they had some extra material and asked if the guy wanted his driveway done. He said 'yeah.'" Mr. Bush said. "The price was extremely low for the work being done."
The man said he understood from the original offer that the cost to repave his driveway would be $1,200, but when the contractor later mentioned it would cost $6 per square foot, the man realized the real cost would more likely be $18,000.
He stopped the arrangement soon enough to avoid that pitfall, but Mr. Bush said a second person that had the company at their house was not as lucky.
"They had agreed upon doing a small area, I think up to about 1,000 square feet, and the company kept going... down the driveway," he said, "She had anticipated a $5,000 bill and he said (after she stopped them) it was going to cost $12,000."
The cost was ultimately negotiated down to $9,000 but the only recourse for the homeowner would be to take the paver to small claims court which could itself be costly if lawyers are involved and challenging to make a case without proof.
Deputy Bush noted that because the company is not taking money for work they do not complete, no criminal charges could be filed.
"He's not doing anything illegal, he's just not being honest with his customers," the deputy said. "Sadly, there's nothing in writing, there's no contract, so it's one word against another."
The contractor also called Mr. Bush to explain he is a legitimate business and "tell his story."
Calling the move "unusual," the deputy said he was able to verify the name of the business but not the address or the story about how the "extra materials" were obtained. Because no laws were broken, Mr. Bush did not release the name of the owner or business.