Homeowners say Windsor contractor accused of fraud bilked them out of thousands

Two homeowners say a Windsor contractor who's been charged with defrauding multiple victims took their money without completing the job.

Barbara Kurtz wanted a shed built at her cottage and decided to reach out to a contractor she found through Facebook Marketplace.

Kurtz was quoted and paid the contractor $3,700, but she says he didn't finish the job.

"I also asked him to do a sidewalk for me and he said he could do that, and he removed the old sidewalk and never came back and he never finished the shed."

Kurtz says she was left with exposed dirt and had to pay someone else to finish the job.

She is considering going to police with her complaint.

Earlier this month, Windsor police said Robert James Jones, 41, has been charged with 10 counts of fraud over $5,000 in connection with 10 different alleged victims. The alleged fraud involves nearly $600,000, taken between March of 2021 and June of last year.

The allegations have not been proven in court. CBC has attempted to reach Jones's lawyer.

Crystal Cole, who owns a home in Chatham, Ont., says she paid Jones $200,000 for repairs after a fire in 2020. Cole says the work was not done.

"It's heart wrenching. I'm a single mom. I have three children," she said, adding that she's concerned by how others were allegedly victimized by the same man.

Cole is not part of the criminal case against Jones, but said a civil court has ruled in her favour.

How consumers can protect themselves from contractor fraud

Brent Klundert, the president of Windsor Essex Home Builders' Association, says checking with their organization can help people avoid grief.

"We have an internal ethics board, so we make sure that if there is any complaints lobbied against any of our members, we're checking to make sure that you know, they did they do something wrong? ... Are they living up to the code of ethics?"

Jennifer Matthews, CEO of Better Business Bureau Serving Western Ontario, said last year, home improvement scams were the third most common type of scams reported to the organization across Canada, with a median loss of $2,000.

But there are ways to stay protected, she said.

"Do research on who is a good contractor. You can check with friends and neighbours. You could also check the Better Business Bureau website and look at a accredited businesses and see their reviews and complaints they may have had over the last three years."

Matthews added that getting quotes in writing and avoiding contractors who only take payments in cash or full payments upfront is key.

"It's expected that a contractor is going to want a deposit of some sort and that should be a percentage of the project, but that should not be the entire amount for the project upfront, because that's too much of a risk for consumers," she said.