LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Lancaster homeowner is taking legal action after paying thousands of dollars to a contractor who allegedly never completed any work on his property.
Chris Papadimitriou was looking forward to enjoying his backyard deck all summer. However, months after hiring contractor Charles Contrino with Window Experts and More Inc., Papadimitriou is still waiting for work to begin.
"Inside of my breezeway, I have boxes of patio furniture I bought in May, expecting I'll have a deck sooner or later, so I was hoping to be out here all summer," Papadimitriou said.
Papadimitriou says he paid Contrino thousands of dollars for the deck project. He showed dozens of text message exchanges between them, with excuses ranging from tariffs to COVID to an audit. Eventually, he said Contrino stopped responding altogether.
"So now nothing is getting done, I got another guy coming next week, so I'm going to be dipping into savings at this point," Papadimitriou said. "I'd like to actually sit back and enjoy it."
Papadimitriou has filed a lawsuit accusing Contrino of taking the money and never doing any work.
WATCH: Lancaster homeowner taking legal action, says contractor cashed in and skipped out on work
When contacted for comment, Contrino initially said he was out of town. He did not respond to a question about refunding Papadimitriou's money.
Consumer protection experts recommend several steps to avoid contractor scams.
"You should always ask for references; any trustworthy contractor will be happy to supply you with a list of local references or examples of previous work they've done," said Katarina Schmieder.
Papadimitriou says he did ask for references, but Contrino still failed to complete the work.
The Better Business Bureau also recommends paying by credit card instead of cash and checking a company's history and complaints before signing any contract.
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