Is there a bi-law that enforces practicing with a license?
9/2/2012 at 10:08:43 PM
I am simply amazed that I did not find any previous blogs on my stamped patterned concrete contractor. He is known in the stamped concrete industry to quote so low that you can't resist, start some horrible work that won't last, take your cash and then just run away. He uses your credit card to buy material/services but he'll quote you lower than what will hit your card at the end and by then he's gone.
At this point in time I have found out that there are tons of people who he's left hanging and the rest whose work is falling apart. He's also taken material from our job right in front of our trusting eyes. Our legal system unfortunately does not help innocent parties to nab such losers; he has nothing to take if you sue so why waste time in court but this is the least I can do.
So I read somewhere that you can contact a bilaw officer in TO who will follow up with this scammer fro practising without a license? Is this true? And what about in York Region.
Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks.
9/5/2012 at 7:52:46 PM
Why are you giving your credit card to anybody???? I don't believe you need a license to lay patterned concrete, but it's worth it to check. Even if Toronto has a bylaw officer for this, they proably don't have much clout to stop him. Unfortunatley you are correct in that there is not a lot of laws to protect consumers.
9/6/2012 at 11:09:53 AM
Hello Sandra
I don't think I would be looking for a bylaw officer, I would be calling the cops. The police are the only ones that can charge a contractor with fraud (if it is as you suggest).
All the bylaw can do is see if he has a business licence and that sort of thing.
I also agree about the credit card. I would never ask any of my clients for their credit card information. We do take credit cards for payment, but that is a different process and I actually don't see the credit card numbers.
Cheers
John Kuehnl-Cadwell
Master Electrician
Datawise Solutions Inc
9/6/2012 at 11:26:08 AM
Just to add. The police can only lay a fraud charge if you paid him, and he did absolutely nothing, that's fraud. If all he did was dig a hole, it's no long fraud and is a civil matter that you have to sue in court.
9/14/2012 at 12:11:09 AM
First of all never give your credit card to any contractor to use. Secondly, if you have the contract then just sue him. calling the cops would not help. they will listen to you but believe me this is not their job for find the contractor. Yes they can do it on court's order. No you dont need a licence for this. just send him the legal papers.
10/6/2012 at 11:56:34 AM
I don't understand, aside from you, there are more people giving this "Contractor" their credit cards to purchase materials? That didn't seem odd? I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound rude or insensitive but there are warnings and advice all over on the do's and don't's of hiring a Contractor.
I don't know how much he took you for but please learn a lesson from this and next time do your project the right way, not the cheapest way.
Traci Kroft
Arrow Contracting
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