A HOMEOWNER unexpectedly found someone doing work in his garage that he didn’t ask for or allow – before asking for payment.
Authorities are now searching for the man allegedly involved in the “unwanted residential paving incident” in Ontario, Canada reported the owner.
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Wellington County, Ontario Provincial Police released a image of the suspect last week Xformerly known as Twitter.
Police revealed the photo showing the community what the man called “Pedro” looked like with the aim of finding him and alerting residents about the unusual situation.
The man also said he represented a company called Unique Paving & Masonry.
The incident where the homeowner found the suspicious person working in his garage happened last month.
Tammie Corrigan explained that the man knocked on her door and offered a discount for doing the work.
She said they talked about the possibility of him continuing with the work, but ultimately Corrigan refused to move forward with the repaving he offered.
“At the end of the conversation [he said]: ‘I’ll call you next week when we’re ready to do this,'” she told CTV News.
“My words were, ‘We’ll call you if we decide to do this.'”
The woman said she returned home the next morning to find a crew working in her garage.
Corrigan even noticed that at that point the land was partially paved.
Because of this, she said the man offered to complete the job and give her $500 off the $7,500 bill.
“We don’t intend to pay you for any work we didn’t ask for,” she emphasized.
Unique Paving & Masonry said the entire situation was a “misunderstanding” and that they had a verbal agreement, an unidentified employee said. TVC News.
The sales representative added: “We don’t just show up and do this randomly.”
How to Avoid a Contractor Scam
Tips to avoid being scammed on a curb, curb or walkway job:
Just because someone shows up at your door wearing a reflective vest, hard hat, and work boots doesn’t mean they come from a reputable contracting company.
A scammer may tell you that they could repave a sidewalk, walkway or driveway for a much cheaper price than the previous contractor told you, appealing to homeowners looking to save thousands on home repairs.
Before you write a check or pay cash for what seems like an offer that’s too good to be true, here are some tips to make sure it’s not a scam.
- Get three quotes from three different companies to see the variation in prices.
- Never pay in advance. A reputable company will not accept money upfront as prices vary depending on the job and complications can increase the price.
- Ask for a contractor’s license. In many states, if you ask to see the license, contractors are legally required to present it.
- Avoid door-to-door salespeople who say they are in the area working. They often take a deposit and never show up.
- Avoid paying by cashier’s check, cash or bank transfer. Paying by credit card is the easiest way to dispute if it is fraud.
- Keep communication in writing, such as email or text, to help protect you if things need to be handled legally and a police report is required.
- Don’t feel pressured to make an immediate decision. Sometimes scammers create a sense of urgency, but it’s important to take a step back and do some research.
Read more here.
Local police said the incident is currently a civil matter, but in order to make a final decision on the matter, the agency would need to speak to the guy who did the work and requested payment.
When the OPP posted online about the suspect, many residents responded.
One individual even noted that the address provided by Unique Paving & Masonry is a UPS store.
“She should check to see if the company has placed a lien on her house,” said one X user.
“It’s actually a pretty simple solution,” said another person.
“Restore it as it was or don’t expect any payment and be glad you’re not being accused of trespassing.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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