Man loses $2.8K to contractor whose license was revoked by the state
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PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) — Steve Wozniak is from New Jersey and says it didn’t take long after moving into his new home to find out that Arizona can get really hot. “We noticed the sun comes directly into the house during the summer time,” Steve told 3 On Your Side.
So, Steve had an idea. If he had sunscreens installed over his windows, it would keep the inside of his house a lot cooler. “Oh, yes. Just trying to keep the sun out in the afternoon so it lowers a lot of the heat. The back of this house is all glass.”
Steve hired a company called Sunscreens and More of Arizona, operated by a guy named Steven Langy. On his website, he proudly shows he’s licensed with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, which made Steve Wozniak feel comfortable. “He’s not a smooth talker. Just a construction-type guy. But he had all the answers for everything,” Steve said.
Steve says he hired the company to install numerous sunscreens and motorized shades at a cost of $5,600. But first, Steve says Langy demanded $2,800 up front to get the job started. “When he said he needed a down payment, was there any hesitation on your part?” 3 On Your Side’s Gary Harper asked. “Sure,” he replied. There’s always some hesitation. You never know what you’re going against.”
Well, that was in June, and after handing over $2,800, Steve says the contractor and the company disappeared.
It’s not surprising. The Registrar of Contractors revoked the company’s license after racking up nearly a dozen consumer complaints.
3 On Your Side went to Steven Langy’s place of business. Although no one came to the door, we did notice Steven Langy couldn’t go far because his truck had a flat tire. After we left, Langy was photographed fixing that tire. As for the business card 3 On Your Side left on his front door, he never called us back.
Steve Wozniak has filed a complaint with the Registrar of Contractors and is hoping to get his money back through the contracting board’s Recovery Fund.
In the meantime, he says he’s learned a valuable lesson. “Well, it’s disheartening. You want to trust people and give them the benefit of the doubt. You want to help people out and when they start doing things like this, it hurts. I want to be able to trust people.”
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors is actively investigating. If criminal charges are filed, I’ll let you know in a follow up report.
Also, this is a good reminder to always hire a licensed contractor because of things go wrong, you stand a good chance of being reimbursed by the contracting board’s Recovery Fund.
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