CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — So Esther Martinez and her husband drove from Sinton to Rockport last Wednesday to pick up one of the two iron gates she'd ordered and paid for from CK Kustoms Iron Works a year ago.
The owner of CK, Cody Key was not there. But by phone, he told the Martinezes he would take the second gate to them, in Sinton, the next day.
But he didn't.
Within a matter of days, the Troubleshooters were contacted by TFW Construction, a Corpus Christi company.
They wanted to help Martinez.
"We're working in Sinton. We eat lunch in Sinton," John Hanzalik of TFW Construction told us by phone. "So we spend a lot of time in Sinton, and it just so happened a resident of Sinton needed assistance. We wanted to see what we could do to help her out."
Hanzalik told the Troubleshooters he and his company are working at the Steel Dynamics plant in Sinton.
And that they help others in the community when they can.
His wife first saw our story on Facebook and told him about it.
Hanzalik is a welder by trade.
He says it would take a day to install the gate - for free, by the way.
It's his way of giving back.
"We don't want any money," he said. "I did tell her it was going to be free of charge. We were not expecting any money. She's clearly paid what she's paid out of pocket. So that's good enough for us. We don't want money from her."
Martinez paid CK Kustoms Iron Works in full, $7,400 in July 2020 for two iron privacy gates for her home in Sinton.
But since she hadn't received them she took Key to court and was awarded a judgment for the full amount.
But she says Key hasn't refunded her any money.
She's reported him to the Better Business Bureau.
And she's Had an attorney send him a demand letter.
Those actions still have prompted nothing.
And after Key told the Troubleshooters Martinez could come and pick up the gates Wednesday, there was only one available, and Key wasn't at the shop.
Instead, he told the Martinzes by phone, he'd deliver the second gate to them in Sinton on the next day.
He did not.
Martinez still hopes to get the second gate from CK Kustoms Iron Works. She just doesn't know when or if that will happen because she's hasn't been able to contact Cody Key.
The Troubleshooters tried contacting him on two different phone numbers, but couldn't leave a message.
