By Melissa Shriver
Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 5:52 p.m.
Read more: Local, Community, Carthage, Nightmare, Contractor
Shannon Taylor and her fiance bought this fixer-upper in Carthage to remodel for their family of six children.
Taylor said, "This was our dream home, now it's more like a nightmare than anything else."
They hired Charles Guymon and his new company, C-G Construction, from Carthage. In the contract, they agreed to pay half up-front to pay for materials - almost $19 thousand dollars - and to pay the other half for labor when the job was finished.
Taylor says that's when the problems began.
Wouldn't return any of our phone calls, I have to go and find him to see where he was.
Taylor said, "He ended up walking off the job site and stealing all of our materials. He took everything we had to finish our home."
But Guymon says once his workers started, the family changed its mind, adding three extra bedrooms upstairs. That changed the bid, adding more man hours and materials, which meant spending more money up front than he had in the bank.
Guymon said, "It changed so much that if we had stayed at the rate we were working at, it would have taken the company under."
That's when Guymon admits he was over his head, so he decided to send this text message informing Taylor he had returned supplies to get money to pay his workers. Siding and other materials were gone when Taylor arrived at the house.
Taylor said, "The first reaction was shock and devastation. Realizing everything was gone, the dream was gone."
Guymon said, "Do I feel I robbed her? No, there are two sides to every story."
Do you feel you've done anything wrong?
Guymon said, "No, I don't, my guys went without pay for two weeks. 39:35 If I could do it again, I would make sure my guys got paid."
Guymon says the supplies used and work his crew accomplished was well worth the 19 thousand dollars they were paid at the beginning of the job.
Guymon said, "We took a loss on it."
But that's no consolation for Taylor and her family. She feels she got ripped off. And now she's stuck paying rent on one home, and a mortgage on this house they can't live in.
Guymon said, "We both breached the contract. Even though we were both trying to be nice, it came back and bit us both."
Both parties agree that things went terribly wrong on this remodeling project. But they have some advice to make sure this doesn't happen to you.
What would your advice be to other contractors?
Guymon said, "Make sure all bids are marked out. Put in detail what is in each room///so they don't suffer what we're suffering now."
Taylor said, "Be careful who you hire. Make sure you check every credential they have. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
We talked to another customer of CG Construction this afternoon who also reports problems with Guymon's work.
We also spoke with Hancock County Sheriff John Jefferson. He confirmed Guymon has a lengthy criminal record. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for armed robbery back in 1994 when he was 20 years old.
We asked Guymon about that today. He told us he's not proud of the things he did in his younger days. But he says since he found the Lord eight years ago in jail, his life changed. Now he's going to church and making an honest go of it.
Sheriff Jefferson also has turned over his department's investigation into Shannon Taylor's complaints to the Hancock County State's Attorney, Jim Drodz, for his review.
We talked with Drodz this afternoon. He says he's advocating a civil suit for this case.
Here are some tips from the Illinois Attorney General's Office on what both contractors and customers need to know before entering into any contract for home improvement:
- Keep the following items in mind when contemplating hiring a contractor for home repair or remodeling work:
- Get more than one estimate and get them in writing.
- Don't fall for high pressure sales tactics and prices that seem "too good to be true."
- Get the name and address of the business and check old phone books to see how long they have been in business.
- Inspect the contract carefully. Check to see that it includes: the contractor's full name, address, and telephone number, a description of the work to be performed, starting and estimated completion dates, total cost for work performed including charges for estimates, schedule and method of payment including down payment, subsequent payments, and final payment
Do not sign a contract that has blank spaces or that you do not understand.
Find out whether the contractor guarantees his or her work and products.
Get lien waivers. This protects you from claims against you or your property in the event a general contractor fails to pay subcontractors or material suppliers.
Don't make final payment until you are satisfied and all subcontractors have been paid.
Remember, you have three business days to cancel any contract if the sale is made and signed at your home. The contractor CANNOT take this right away from you by initiating work, selling your contract to a lender, or any other tactic.
The following are typical examples of home repair rip-off schemes:
Unsolicited door-to-door salespeople with no local connections offer to do home repair work for substantially less than market price.
A company which lists only a telephone or post-office box number solicits for repair work.
A contractor refuses to provide proof of insurance and references when requested.
Someone offers to inspect your home for free without authentic identification establishing their business status.
A contractor demands cash payment and/or full payment before they complete a job.
A contractor asks for a check payable to a third party.
A contractor offers to drive the homeowner to his/her bank to withdraw funds to pay for their work.
