DETROIT – A Detroit woman said she paid a contractor hundreds of dollars upfront to repair cracks in her front steps.
More than a month later, she said no work has been done, and now the contractor has stopped returning her calls.
So she turned to Local 4 for help.
Naomi Clark said she hired a man named Eric in late June to fix the cracked and broken concrete steps leading to her front door.
The only part of her well-kept home she said she’s unhappy with.
“This is the main thing,” Clark said, pointing to the damaged steps.
Ring doorbell footage from June 26 showed the contractor at her home. Clark said that day he quoted her $900 for the job and she paid him half, in cash.
“In the beginning, I called him every day, and every day he said he was coming,” Clark said. “He told me, ‘Turn on my water, make sure my water was on, on the side of the house because he needed the water and he would be there the next day.’ “
Clark said the next day came, and “I’ve never seen him again.”
She has filed a police report.
Clark said she didn’t hesitate to pay the deposit or research the contractor more thoroughly because he worked on another home on her street and liked what she saw.
“I felt used,” Clark said. “Like he took advantage of me.”
Local 4 reached out to the contractor, Eric, to ask why the job hadn’t started.
At first, he said Clark had not given him all of the money. When asked if she was supposed to pay more than the deposit up front, he said no. He then said he had already bought the materials and planned to start the project next Tuesday, adding that he told Clark this four days earlier.
Clark disputes that, and said he had not contacted her with any update.
To make sure you find the best contractor, the Better Business Bureau recommends:
- Search for the company’s online reputation.
- Review a company’s previous work and ask for references.
- And ask for multiple quotes from different contractors.
Local 4 reached out to Detroit Police to ask if a police report was filed. They responded:
“A police report was taken. At this time, this is a civil court issue. We are working to contact the victim to ensure that she is aware of this.”
Detroit Police Department, Media Relations
Clark said she is looking into legal action to get her money back.