On today’s Troubleshooters, a woman claims she paid a contractor to put a new roof on her home. But the job was never done. So she wants her money back. The contractor tells us the woman called and cancelled the job and describes the dispute as an ‘unfortunate event.’
Corey Witty says Hurricane Harvey did extensive damage to the roof of her Aransas Pass home. So she hired Monica Loewe of Loewe Lonestar Construction to put a new roof on for $7300.00, of which Witty told the Troubleshooters she’s paid Loewe $4050.00. But for what?
"No materials. No work was done at all," she said.
But at the core of this dispute is Loewe’s insurance binder that Witty showed us. It shows an effective date of August 2017. And an expiration date of August 2018. But Witty claims the insurance company told her it’s forged because of the August 2016 date.
"And then she gave me an insurance policy that she forged the dates on. And that was through her insurance agency that…they confirmed it."
Loewe explained to us her insurance company told her the policy ‘was’ invalid until she signed an addendum, which she says she eventually did.
But on the morning her crew showed up ready to start the job, she told us about a phone call she received from Witty.
"And she was like ‘I don’t want y’all here. I was like ‘excuse me.’ She’s like ‘I don’t want you here, until we resolve everything. I said Corey, you can’t just do that. You can’t just tell me you don’t want me there. She’s like ‘it’s a liability thing.’
Loewe’s crew never installed the new roof. Witty finally paid a different contractor to put it on.
But she says she called us because she wants her money, $4050.00, back from Loewe.
Witty’s also told her story to the police, the Better Business Bureau, the attorney general’s office. It’s actually about a ‘bigger’ issue with contractors.
"Well, they’re not doing anything to these people that have taken money."
As for Loewe, she says she’ll give Witty a refund, but only after she takes out charges for her time.
"She’s like absolutely not. You will not charge me any money. And I was like ‘ma’am, you don’t understand. Things are not free."
