Disabled veteran falls victim to contractor fraud in Ringgold, LA
By Troy Washington
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RINGGOLD, Louisiana (KTBS) — A disabled veteran say he was left high and dry in Ringgold. He says he paid contractors $10,000 to work on his home and though the check cleared right away the company never started the job.
Monte and LeAnn Thames showed KTBS the contract between them and Energy Savers of America a company based in Monroe, Louisiana. The veteran even showed us the check he wrote them for $10,000 in fact the only thing he couldn’t show KTBS is what that payment got him. For almost a year the couple has tried to get in touch with the company to get the work started.
KTBS did some digging and even tried to contact the company. Our attempts were unsuccessful. It appears the company is no longer in business.
According to Bienville Parish deputies earlier this month investigators issued a warrant for the arrest of Jason Smith and Daniel Hart. Hart has been in trouble for contractor fraud in Union parish and Ouachita Parish in the past.
“All the phone numbers are disconnected, the Facebook pages are gone, even the websites gone. There is evidence there used to be a business but that’s all that’s left, the company vanished,” said Monte and LeAnn Thames.
Monte says usually he does the repairs around the house but this time he says he did his research, and he finally took a chance on hiring someone. After this experience he’s afraid to trust another company.
We checked with the Better Business Bureau. The company’s accreditation and rating has been revoked.
Thames is still hopeful that he could get his money back. Now he is also looking for a trusted company to complete the job.
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