A number of residents living on Carleton Street in Kitchener say they are regretting agreeing to an unwanted option to pave the driveway.
At least four residents whose driveways were paved say the result has left them worse off.
Tom Somerville said what he got was the opposite of what the paving company said it would do.
Somerville said that on a Saturday in late May, a gentleman with an Irish accent offered to repair his driveway.
“They seemed really friendly and I was convinced they looked legit and everything was going to be fine and they knew what they were doing,” Somerville said.
Somerville said when the crew was done, the quality of the work was below par.
“I’ll probably have to tear it up,” he said.
Nolan Babb has also done his driveway and says the results are pretty much the same.
“Some parts look good, other parts look a little ragged,” Babb said.
The phone number provided by the paving company was disconnected and emails were not returned. The Kitchener address given by the paving company turned out to be a real business, but people working there said there was no paving company at the address.
Some residents also say they agreed to the job — only to have no one show up.
“He said he’d come back tonight, but he didn’t [come back],” said Dennis Bitchy, who also lives on Carlton Street. “So we sat there and waited until 7pm, I said even if he comes I’ll tell him where to go huh”
Bitschy said he feels like he dodged a bullet.
Those who have had work done say they could be out tens of thousands.
“It’s going to cost about $23,000 for the two driveways because they have to dig it up,” Babb said.
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WEIGHTS
The Better Business Bureau says it has heard numerous complaints about this type of activity.
Better Business Bureau Executive Director Angela Dennis said to avoid payments in cash or wire transfers. The better option is to pay by credit card because the user has the option to report the payments as fraudulent.
“Take the time to research, do a Google search, check BBB.org, check our fraud tracker – if they want cash, we recommend you don’t pay in cash or wire transfer because you can’t make it up to yourself” , said Dennis.
The BBB has a few tips that residents should know when it comes to hiring a contractor.
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