One local out thousands of dollars after falling victim to home improvement scam

Imagine coming home every day for two months to see your furniture piled outside and your home in shambles. For one local, this is a reality, after claiming she was scammed by a handyman.

Jan Dolan, who has lived in the Foothills area for years now, called Home Advisor to find a handyman that could clean her floors, paint her walls, and do other things around the house. Dolan was paired up with a handyman and signed a contract in February.

The man started working for her in March, and she assumed he was qualified.

Working on and off, she said the handyman completed only 98 and a half hours out of the 336 hours they agreed to.

A seemingly genuine worker, Dolan said he never showed her any type of business license. In addition to never showing his license, other red flags popped up including improperly covering her furniture.

April 30 was the last time she saw her handyman, with most of her furniture on her patio and some of his equipment still on her property. Now, a month after giving him half the contracted payment, Dolan is out over $12,000 and in over her head.

She said she attempted to contact him, but no answer. Contact for her at this point is difficult, especially since she said he goes under three names and several companies. Conveniently enough for him, all Facebook profiles with his company’s names have been disabled and no names have been attached to his business listings.

Dolan wants others to be wary of workers that do not have a license they can present up front. ” I was so convinced that Home Advisers were one of the better ones. You hear it advertised all the time on television, and it shouldn’t have to be questioned. If they have a client it seems like they would’ve done the investigation,” said Dolan.

Dolan said she has filed a police report but is yet to receive any compensation.

A statement from Home Advisor is as follows: ” We are always disheartened to hear when a homeowner was unsatisfied with a service pro. We screen for applicable state-level licenses and always encourage homeowners to check on any pertinent local licensing. For more on our screening process, click here. We are investigating this matter and will reach out to work with the homeowners.” — HomeAdvisor Spokesperson