Business ProfileforGeorge Co. Asphalt and Concrete

I personally met with and then hired **** ****** of ****** Co to pave our driveway in Topanga Canyon. He provided me with a contract (good for 30 days), which we signed on April 23rd, 2023. I then paid **** ****** a 50% deposit of $7,000, via Zelle, with the understanding that he would commence work on Monday, May 1st. **** ****** not only did not appear on those days to do the work, he has scarcely responded to my many texts and calls asking for a status update. The few times that he did respond he did not commit to a new start date. After countless attempts to reach him, I emailed him on June 8th, to insist that he return our deposit. I have not heard from him. We hired **** ****** upon the recommendation of our next door neighbor, who had previously hired him to perform on their property, and who had planned to hire him back in the near future for some additional work. When he failed to respond to us, we took it upon ourselves to look more closely at his reputation with customers (see ****************), only to find that he appears to have done this to others: - "**** is super friendly and immediately returns phone calls until he cashes your check. By the time you realize the material he used allows grass to grow through it after less than two weeks he is long gone." - "The work was performed in the Fall of 2018 and **** ****** acknowledged that the work is terrible. He promised to return to re-do the road as if it was never done. He then proceeded to either evade my calls/ texts or give more excuses (his trucks are all broken down, he ran out of money because other customers haven't paid him, a couple of funerals, the weather, etc etc) for nearly a year! I bought it all (remember I'm naive...but learning!!). STAY AWAY from ****** Co. and dont fall for his stories." I am writing with the hopes that BBB will help us recover our $7,000 deposit, or advise us on our best options to recuperate it.