ComplaintsforE & M Renovations Company

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On April 17, 2024, ****** ******** and his friend ***** ********* were hired to do a rehab at my property after telling me they will finish in 3-4 weeks and are giving me a great price to prove I can trust them. I sent them 50% deposit of $11,662 on April 17, 2024. A few weeks go by and when I questioned ****** why we are so delayed, he “claimed” that were so many plumbing issues (also a lie), but to not worry, they finished all the drywall and paint and we are 2 weeks away from being finished so to send him the 2nd draw of $5,831 on May 17, 2024, which I did. ****** however requested I send the money to his wife’s account, as he claimed his partner, *****, has a drinking problem and he does not trust him with the money. I found this odd, but I followed his instructions and sent it to his wife account and he said he would send me a statement for my taxes after, which he never did. I'm also notifying the IRS of what he does. That’s when the scam began. He said he ordered the flooring and after a week goes by, he then said he ended up in the hospital. He said it was nothing too serious and got out a few days later, when I asked him when he was going to start flooring - he stated that following monday. All of a sudden, that “Monday” he found himself in the hospital again. This man lied about being in the hospital for over a month. This guy is a psychopath. I had my family who are lawyers investigate and we hired a PI to track him down, and we found out this psychopath was at home all along! After we found out the truth, we contacted his wife and threatened to expose them for who they are, the wife sent me some money back, but of course, ****** lied AGAIN, and claimed he had done plumbing and AC repair for another $3000 which he refused to send, and my new contractor found out that was also a lie. I gave him proof and gave him 2 weeks to resolve it amicably, but he of course started with his lies again, pretending he was going to send his “worker” to go fix it.

  Business response

  07/28/2024

  Yes this customer did give myself and ***** money to start this job. Which is exactly what happened. And yes she did give me a draw part way through the job. So here’s my response. I did everything I said I did. There were 2 plumbing hookups that were not completed because we had to wait on the flooring and cabinets to be done. Also the air conditioner and furnace were completely non functional when we first started working at the property. Which she states that was a lie. She reached out to my wife and said I could have my tools back after things fell apart on my end. I sent two of my employees over to the property to get my tools. The one employee was the plumber who did the plumbing work. He told her property manager he would come back and finish the 2 hookups when it was ready by the new contractor. Also while he was there he turned the air conditioner on and heard the blower motor whining he reached in and put pressure on it and the air conditioning kicked on and was working properly. So yes the air conditioning and the plumbing were both out of the scope of the original work. The water company came out for an initial hook up and would not do so because the water main was not up to code. Which the plumber then fixed and the water department came back and everything passed and we had water. Also we reimbursed her $9500.00 not just a mi-nute amount which she is claiming. She has ruined my business through all of this. Also there was never a signed contract or any contract between her and I. ***** sent her a bid. WHICH IS NOT A CONTRACT. Trust and believe I will move on from this. I got sick and had my number one guy had emergency hand surgery through all of this which caused delays. So yes I’m at fault for the delays in work. But she was reimbursed in full. She will not get another cent from me. Also she has stated she wants no contact with me well the SAME GOES FROM MY END. I will move on and find another path in life. If she wasn’t happy with the progress then why did she ever send more money??? SHE WAS REIMBURSED WITH $9500.00. That is all she is getting from me. I wish her the best in her future. 
  

  Respectfully submitted,

  ****** ******** 

  Customer response

  08/05/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This guy is nothing but a con artist and a liar. He has done this same scam to multiple people - just look at the previous complaints before mine all within the last year! He did not send “two of his employees” - he sent one employee, and she was there the entire time he took his tools back and never checked anything. Lie #1. Lie #2 is this guy literally pretended he was in the hospital for over a month, when he was literally at his home. I am certain of this as I had a private investigator who told me this man was lying the entire time. The AC was not fully functioning, I had to hire a new company to fix it. Also, the plumbing was never complete in full and he just makes numbers out of thin air. When I asked over 10+ times for receipts and proof - he IGNORED it and never could provide proof of this. I was also charged significant plumbing fees by new contractor because this man is nothing but a liar. He wants to of course play the “victim”, as all con artists do and pretend I ruined his business. HE ruined his own “business”! If that’s what you even call a business. It’s more like a scam. He lowballs offers to get people to take his deal and then that’s when his excuses and lies begin. The reason why I sent him the next draw was because he’s nothing but a “talker” and said we were only 2 weeks away from being finished and to send him the next draw. As soon as I did, is when his scam began and he pretended he was in the hospital. He made all kinds of lies up, this man is a sick twisted con artist and my lawyers will continue to find out if he creates new business names to stop this man from scamming more people! How is the BBB even allowing this scammer on here? That’s something I am going to also look into with the BBB as clearly they are only taking his money and not really thoroughly investigating who they are backing. I was given $9500 back because I had to go through his wife who sent it to me - because this con artist of a, I wouldn’t even call man, just kept me stringing along. He still owes me $3000. He of course doesn’t want to send it back because he’s a con artist and scammer. I will get it back, even if it means paying lawyers double to just make sure he doesn’t walk away with a cent more than he should have. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********

• Initial Complaint

  09/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The owner & operator (o&o) was given $8,100 for siding materials Dec 6th by check for work to be completed in the Spring of 2023. May 30th, o&o told us he would begin siding our house June 21st & should be done within 2 weeks. June 20th, asked when we could expect them on the 21st to no reply. 21st, I reached out again & received this, “We are not coming over. I applied to refinance my house Mon bc we are in a bad financial way.” I replied, “Can one of your workers drop the materials off at our house?” No reply. June 22nd I said, “Hello?” O&o replied, “Yes I received your text. I will reach back out Mon.” June 26th I said, “When can someone drop off the materials we paid for?” June 27th, o&o said, “I just got done with a phone conference with my attorney. We should have a check from are lender no later then July 19th. My attorney advised me to move forward this way. So yes I will hand delivered your check as soon as it clears are bank account which should be no later then July 20th. Any other questions or concerns will be answered by my attorney. I will contact you as soon as I have your cashiers check in full.” I asked for contact info for his attorney, he said, “They are mailing you a letter with all the information.” I replied, “I need the name of your attorney today.” He said, “It seems as though you are becoming very angry & threatening towards me. So I’m going to block your number & refer this conversation to my attorney & request a no contact order until the check comes in. If there is any contact attempts before the payment is returned I will contact the proper people. I’m sorry about this it will be handled in a professional manner from here on out. Slander is not out of the question either.” As of 9/27/23, we have not received a letter from his attorney, a check, the materials we paid for back in Dec, or heard from them. In addition, o&o was to put in 7 doors in our house, which we paid for plus labor, but he only completed 4 out 7.

  Business response

  10/24/2023

  Good evening,

  My name is ****** ******** I am the CEO of E&M

  Renovations. I received the email/complaint from 

  Mrs ****. I do agree that I do owe this customer 

  some compensation for work yet to be done. 

  However I do what it noted this work was 

  outside of the contract scope of work. Which

  I was doing under a no contract friendship. 

  My mother passed away suddenly and things 

  spun out of control quickly. I do also have materials 

  for Mrs ****. I would be more then willing to set up

  a repayment plan. That’s the best I can do at this time. 

  It is my understanding if a job is being done without a 

  Contract or if a check wasn’t written out to my 

  company that BBB had no jurisdiction on this matter. 

  Finances are very tight for my wife and I at this time. 

  But like I said I would be more then willing to set up 

  some repayment plan with this customer. I can figure 

  Out how much that would be after materials. 

   

  Thank you,

  ****** ******** 

   

  Customer response

  11/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because I find ****** ********'s response confusing and contradicting of past interactions we have had. 

  "However I do what it noted this work was outside of the contract scope of work. Which I was doing under a no contract friendship." While we consider this a huge mistake on our part to allow him to take on work without signing a contract, we were not friends with him nor did we know him personally to even consider this work "under a no contract friendship." We were under the understanding we had hired a professional contractor to complete the work. 

  "My mother passed away suddenly and things spun out of control quickly." Mr. ********'s mother had passed away BEFORE he chose to take on the work we wanted done. 

  "I do also have materials for Mrs ****." When I asked for the materials we paid for to be dropped off at our house, he ultimately told me to go through his attorney and blocked my number so I could not ask further questions (and never provided contact info for his attorney).

  "I would be more then willing to set up a repayment plan." Again, Mr. ******** blocked my number and has never reached out to give me any reason to believe he would follow through with any type of repayment plan. 

  "But like I said I would be more then willing to set up some repayment plan with this customer. I can figure out how much that would be after materials." We never received any materials so I am unsure what "I can figure out how much that would be after materials" even means. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ****

• Initial Complaint

  06/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 8, 2023 I met with ****** ********, Owner/Operator, of E & M Renovations Company, 3316 Hazelton Drive, Oregon, Ohio 43616-2340. Mr. ******** indicated that he was Licensed, Insured, and bonded. The scope of the job was: Demo the bathroom - we discussed the fact that I wanted a complete "gut" of the walls and ceiling, down to the studs. Mr. ******** was informed that I had blown in insulation applied to the attic last fall. He stated that it would all come down over the bathroom and he would have to re-install it. He added that he would remove debris from the property, install new green board provided by the Contractor, Finish drywall with a smooth finish, paint the bathroom, Install a new light provided by the Customer, Install new flooring provided by the Contractor. Total cost of $5,000 with half due up front and half due upon completion. A separate Plumbing Contract was drawn up. He previously estimated that the charges would be about $500. The actual plumbing contract actually totaled $2,350 and included a Sterling Ensemble Tub worth over $800 with a downpayment of $1800 and $550 due upon completion. Mr. ******** subsequently said he found mold in my basement and a small area in the main floor bathroom. Mr. ******** said that he received a license/certificate for mold remediation by taking classes through OSHA and he would be able to purchase the specialized chemicals to treat the mold. "Don't not to go to a big box store and buy the chemicals, they don't work". He asked for a check in the amount of $1,850 for mold materials. After completing the job he demanded an additional $7,695 to be directed to his wife's bank account via bank transfer. After payment was made and the job was supposedly completed Mr. ******** wrote "Mold Treatment is as Follow". He stated that he had bought Jomax at a box store to treat the mold and listed things that he had done which were untrue. My reno totaled more than $20,500. Breach of Contract and Fraud Please contact me!

  Business response

  06/23/2023

  [BBB Transcription via Phone]

  The total cost was $5000 half due up front the rest at the completion of work. She saw the mold in bathroom and basement. There was nothing said to her that I was state certified in mold removable. We sprayed drylac. This took us 3 1/2 days. The last day we left there she was completely happy. I left on great terms. This all started when I asked for my tile saw back. She wanted shower enclosure with the $5000. Then she changed it to tile and her boyfriend was supposed to do it. A day into him doing it he completed 1 and 1/2 rows. I wasn't going to wait 5 weeks for him to finish. They agreed at that point that she would allow me to do the tile work. The only thing I had left to do over there was the area in the breeze way had black mold. We ripped it all out and treated it. I said to her I have another job for a blower for insulation and I can come complete it at that point. She was happy with that. 

  Customer response

  06/23/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Mr. ******** has not responded to any of issues of the complaint. As far as the mold in the bathroom, I was shown a smear on the wall of the bathroom and was told it was mold. My original contract was for the complete removal of the walls and ceiling down to the studs. There was to be new drywall in the entire room. Only the bottom of the walls was removed and "skim coat" was applied to the ceiling.  I stated that I didn't like the fact that the walls and ceiling were not completely removed.  Mr. ******** said I would have to wait until the job was complete to see the results. If there was mold, as Mr. ******** indicated, why would he not remove the walls and ceiling to be sure that the mold issue was addressed? I did not see the mold in the basement but was told that it was there and that my paneling and ceiling panels would have to be removed to treat the mold. Mr. ******** manipulated the situation and had me very afraid for my health, the health of my guests, the health of my pet(s), etc.  He told me that he had taken classes with OSHA and was was licensed to use the special chemicals that were necessary to treat the mold.  He demanded a check for $1,850 for the purchase of supplies to treat the mold. I was never given any receipts for any of the demands for supplies after the original reno began. In addition to that, Mr. ******** went behind my back and demanded 2 bank transfers from my fiance (**** *********) be sent to his wife, ******** ******** in the amount of 1. $4,000 and 2. $3695. I knew nothing about these additional transactions demanded by Mr. ********! Mr. ******** got at least $9,545 for tearing out my paneling in the basement on 2 walls, and removing the ceiling tiles in my laundry room (which I told him I did not want to do). Not to mention that no, "special chemicals" were used to treat the mold.  When we asked for an explanation of what he had done to treat the mold, Mr. ******** indicated that he had used Jomax and had painted some of the exterior basement walls with drylock. Previously Mr. ******** said not to purchase mold treatments from the "big box" stores because they were ineffective!  Jomax came from a big box store! Since I have never received any receipts from Mr. ******** for any supplies, I had to research what he had actually spent if he really purchased and treated my home with Jomax. I found the deck sprayer that Mr. ******** used (his was obviously an older used sprayer) which costs $12.99. The Jomax "mildew" killer costs $25.46. The container that Mr.******** brought with him had the label scraped off! And the Watertite Ultra  which was used to paint some of my basement walls sells for $179.00. All of this totals $217.45.  **** and I were told that we had to leave my house for 2 to 3 hours while Mr. ******** treated the mold because of the fumes and he would have to wear a respirator and a suit.  When we returned, I was shocked that there was NO ODOR from the chemicals. I even told Mr. ******** that I thought we may have to stay in a hotel for the night due to the fumes. There was no respirator or suit. I have copies of every check that Mr. ******** demanded! He used intimidation when I was alone in my home to force me to pay him. When he asked for half of the final $5,000 payment before the job was done, I said no and he became very aggressive.  I was afraid so I gave him the payment.  Everytime I expressed my displeasure about the quality of work that was being done, Mr. ******** would make sarcastic comments about the fact that I'm not a Queen or Princess and that I expected perfection. He bullied me...I'm a senior citizen, live alone, and was vulnerable to Mr. ********'s bullying and aggression. He indicated that he and most of his employees had been in prison and that an electrician who was in my house had been part of a big drug cartel from Mexico. This was very intimidating to me!  With regard to the tile work in the bathroom, **** and I only had a few hours to work on the tile when Mr. ******** insisted that he was concerned about ****'s health and stated that he wanted to help us out by installing the tile.  Originally, we had told Mr. ******** that it may take us a couple of weeks to complete the tile work and he was not concerned about it. He was going to work on other jobs that he had and we were to give him a heads up before the weekend to let him know how it was going.  We, again, got bullied into letting Mr. ******** and his employee (*****) do the tile work. **** is a 100% disabled veteran. We knew that we could probably complete the job over the weekend and also knew that Mr. ******** does not work on weekends. I know that the BBB prides it's self on Integrity and Honesty. I selected a A+ rated BBB contractor expecting just that. Mr. ******** got over $20,500 by the end of the process. I want my money back. He did a half way job on the thing that I originally contracted him to do...my bathroom.  He was dishonest and was a bully who has anger issues.  Even in his response to my complaint, he has made things up.  This is the first time I ever heard that there was black mold in the breezeway!  I know that isn't true because I had attic insulation installed recently and specifically asked about mold at that time. I used a reputable, honest company who told me that there was no mold! Mr. ******** volunteered to insulate the area above my breezeway. I did not ask him to do it. He said he felt it should be done and he would not charge me extra for it. He was going to rent a machine to blow in the insulation and I told him he could wait until he had another job so it wouldn't cost him anything. I have several tools, golf clubs, and other items that have come up missing.  In fact, ****'s drill disappeared and we asked *** about it.  ****, Mr. ********'s employee took the drill. It was returned because **** had his name on the drill.  The drill was returned but the new, $50 battery was missing. We did eventually get it back. His employees helped themselves to my tools and other items in my home. I told Mr. ******** that the tools meant a lot to me because they had belonged to my deceased husband and my deceased father. I have a list of the items that I know are missing and I'm sure that there are more that I am not aware of. Your 30 minute deadline does not allow be to address all of the issues but I would be happy to have further discussions. By the way, Mr. ******** indicated a total cost of $5,000 for the work performed. The total is actually over $20,500. I did not want the tile saw that Mr. ******** left in my home along with debris that he was supposed to remove. He said he'd be back on Friday to get the debris and he never returned. He should be ashamed of scamming a senior lady and a 100% disable veteran! I always tell my children to "make me proud'. I have check copies, bank transfer receipts, and photos which I am unable to load on here.

  Sincerely,

  
  *** ******

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid this company $3000 six months ago and he never did the work and refuses to return the money. I went with him because he was backed by the BBB but I guess that doesn’t mean much anymore.

  Business response

  02/06/2023

  [BBB Transcription via Phone]

  Business stated it was not a job with his business. He said he was hired on the side for the job. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩