State ‘stings’ Bend illegal contractors on Craigslist

The Oregon Construction Contractors Board, in cooperation with the National Association of Contractor Licensing Agencies, conducted simultaneous undercover construction stings with seven other state licensing agencies to alert consumers to the large numbers of illegal construction activities offered online.

On Sept. 12, set up two undercover sting operations in the Salem and Bend areas targeting unlicensed contractors offering construction related services through ads posted on craigslist.org. Other states conducting undercover stings included Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Utah.

“Oregon’s commitment to protecting consumers and level the playing field for legitimate contractors is critical in the agency mission,” says Craig P. Smith CCB Administrator. “We want consumers to be aware that bulletin boards (like craigslist.org) do not monitor or verify postings to assure consumers the contractor is properly licensed.”

This is CCB’s second multi-state sting this year.

During the September sting, CCB Field Investigators wrote a total of 28 Field Proposed Orders (FPOs) for bidding and advertising construction work. Fourteen FPO’s and one warning were issued in Salem and 14 FPO’s were issued in Bend.

Five individuals (2 in Bend/3 in Salem) had prior CCB enforcement histories.

The following FPO’s were written by CCB Field Investigators:

Salem:
• Terry L Konrady. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed. Konrady shows a prior enforcement history with the agency and more than $3700 outstanding in consumer debt and civil penalty amounts.
• Matt Morton. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Terry L Johnson. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Johnny Lee Biggs Jr. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Brandon Allyn Ost. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Josha Kane Bialobzewski. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Samuel Rusnak. One FPO written for submitting a bid while unlicensed. Samuel Rusnak shows a prior enforcement history with the agency.
• Michael Rusnak. One FPO written for advertising without a license. Michael Rusnak shows a prior enforcement history with the agency and more than $$2500 in outstanding civil penalties.
• Nicole Michelle Korkeakoski. written a warning for advertising without a license.

Bend:
• Dan Dolf. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• James Williams Patterson. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed. Patterson shows a prior enforcement history with the agency.
• Ronald Eldon Lee. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Kamren Vaughn. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Jeanne D Keith. One FPO written for advertising without a license. Keith shows a prior enforcement history with the agency and more than $500 in outstanding civil penalties.
• Jason Fisher. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Josh Tyree. Two FPO’s written for advertising without a license and for submitting a bid while unlicensed.
• Robert Bircham. One FPO written for submitting a bid while unlicensed.

Protecting Oregonians
The CCB strongly encourages consumers to verify a contractor is actively licensed. Consumers can easily check a contractor’s license and complaint history at CCB’s consumer friendly website: www.hirealicensedcontractor.com; CCB’s main agency site www.oregon.gov/CCB or by calling 503-378-4621.

Licensed contractors in Oregon have a bond and insurance which offer some financial protections if something were to go wrong. Homeowners can get help resolving construction-related disputes within a year from the time the work was substantially completed or the work stopped. These protections are only available if the contractor is licensed with the CCB.

“Whether consumers shop for a contractor on the internet, get a referral or someone shows up on their doorstep, it’s important to take the steps available to protect ourselves,” says Gina Fox, CCB Public Information Officer.

CCB’s top five tips include:
• Verify the contractor’s license. This means the contractor can legally work, is bonded and has provided the CCB with proof of liability insurance.
• Get more than one bid. Getting more than one bid can help you “get a feel” for what your project should cost. The old saying “you get what you pay for” generally applies here. A higher bid may be worth the price in better materials, workmanship and reliability
• Get it in writing. One of the best ways to avoid construction disputes is negotiate and follow a well-written construction contract. Most construction disputes can be traced back to the parties’ failure to write, understand, and follow a well-written contract.
• Don’t pay in cash. And don’t let the payments get ahead of the work. Unfortunately scam businesses have no intention of starting or completely the job.

Consumers can find more tips on having a successful construction project at the CCB website.

The CCB is a state agency licensing more than 38,000 contractors. Anyone who is paid to repair, improve or build a home must be licensed by the CCB. Consumers can verify a contractor’s license and find information for successful projects. Information is also available by calling 503-378-4621.