Problems with Juan Garcia III construction company: June 2014

Thursday, June 26, 2014

So what lessons did I learn

So I paid $5,800 for my education, but you can get it for free here by just reading the advice below:

Soliciting multiple bids can often produce the best prices for work, but you also increase your chances of being contacted by scam artists.
When receiving a contract, ensure the contract specifies dates. My contract said what he would do and how much I would be charged for those services and when those fees would be paid, but because it did not specify dates, I have an uphill fight to prove abandonment.
Make allowances in the contract for weather if necessary, but keep it constrained.
Your contract should also include details like permits, what happens for unexpected costs (e.g. rotted wood that was not visible), order of work, etc.
Your contract should stipulate a right to inspect/approve the final work product. If you can work it, you might even try to reserve the right to have the work inspected by a third party and give the contractor the ability to correct items done poorly/wrong or face a financial penalty.
Mine was a large contract with multiple items (retaining wall, privacy wall, painting house, repairing/refinishing pool deck, finishing patio to match pool deck, repairing damaged woodwork). Part of my problems occurred because I allowed work to begin on every single project without seeing any completed. Hindsight being 20/20, I wish I had built milestones into the contract and paid a portion at the completion of each milestone.
Do NOT pay large amounts up front. I’ve heard 10% down payment is a limit, but I might even go 20%... but my greatest regret is I gave ~%70 up front. L If the contractor won’t begin work without significant down payment, proceed with GREAT caution. Also be open to other possibilities (like escrow companies). There are some that provide escrow services for 2%~5%.
Verify the business is listed with the BBB. They don’t necessarily need to be BBB approved/registered- that’s another story, but the BBB should have some record of their history as a company.
Don’t fall for ‘quick incentives’. For example, part of the hook that got me was “My crews just finished a job today and I don’t have another one lined up. I’ll give you a 10% discount on the total job if they can start tomorrow.” Incentives are okay, but in this case I accepted the incentive and abandoned my ability to perform a thorough background check.
Do a THOROUGH internet search. I did a one or two google searches initially with no red flags. However, since problems started to develop, I performed deeper searches. When I started Googling his phone number, business address, his name, home address, etc., things started to appear- things that had I known in advance, I *NEVER* would have accepted this contract.
Get a picture of the contractors official ID (Drivers license is best) if they will allow. This is the one thing I did right and has given me the most valid data to start my internet searches.
Stick to the original plan as defined in the contract. Do not let scope creep enter in. If you find yourself in a position that you must expand the initial agreement, spin it as a separate contract with its own terms and conditions.
Ask for copies of all receipts for materials- if necessary, build it into the contract. I didn’t do this so now a certain amount of materials was delivered to my house but I have no real idea the value/quantity of what was left.
Take pictures of EVERYTHING before work begins so you can show the beginning state compared to the completed state.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Following is the full history of text messages/communication exchanges. The way to interpret the log is items marked with a "->" are where I initiated the communication. Items marked with "<-" are his responses to me.

Monday: June 9th

Contract signed.
Check for $3800 given
He said he would begin work Tuesday between 7:30AM and 8:00
Per voicemail message, said stone would be delivered Wednesday morning. Sand and cement scheduled to be delivered Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday: June 10th : No adverse weather noted

7:55AM -> I need to take off for work. Are you almost here?
He arrived at the house within moments.
They started to remove the retaining wall around the pool. Also started to prep the house for painting.
4:53 -> PHONE CALL (4 min, 55 sec). I forget the content of the conversation right now.

Wednesday: June 11th : No adverse weather noted locally

Supposed rains at rock yard prevented trucks for getting stone. Attempting to setup delivery for Thursday instead.
Started to paint house and detached garage.
Moved excavated dirt to spot below swing set.
Brick privacy wall torn down.
He informed that his father had heart attack and died. Promised to finish job Thursday.
4:18PM <- UNANSWERED PHONE CALL

Thursday: June 12th: Thunderstorms and rain in area

~8:00AM : Sand, concrete and rock delivered. I provided a second check for $2000.
Assured me job would be finished today. Said he had another job in Waxahachie and he needed to move his crew.
Said he was going to issue paychecks on Friday and go to Laredo for father's funeral.
10:22AM -> Everything okay? Your crew is gone.
10:24AM <- PHONE CALL (He advised they were at home depot.)
11:22AM <- Sir got up pool product in us garagage mom just had a massive heart attack will call u ASAP on long distance call
11:49AM -> no problem take of your family!
11:49AM -> sorry for the typo. take care of your family!
11:50AM -> thanks for the communication!!! I'll be praying for her.
12:02PM <- Tks
5:33PM -> how is your mom?
6:18PM <- Little better stable now
6:49PM -> Very good. When you are able, please give me an idea of where we go from here.. but take care for family first.
6:55PM <- Thank you sir my will be their Saturday by 8:00am to complete ur job sir thank you so very much
7:13PM -> Thanks. I will keep your family in my prayers and see your crew on Saturday.
7:15PM <- Thank you for your business and concerns really appreciate it a lot may God bless you and your family sincerely jr

Friday: June 13th: No adverse weather

5:35PM -> I'm trying to plan my weekend right now... do you have an idea what time you will be here?
5:36PM -> not you I mean your crew
5:37PM <- PHONE CALL (1 min 31 seconds). Sounded very distraught. Said he could not emotionally stand to bury both his parents at the same time. Said he was not going to the funeral but that he wanted to stay and finish the job instead.

Saturday June 14th: No adverse weather

9:32AM -> "Is your crew still coming today"
9:54AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL (47 seconds)
10:14AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL (59 seconds)
11:07AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL (43 seconds)
11:09AM -> "Looks like today is not happening. I hope you decided to go to Laredo for the funeral. Do you have a new plan to finish my house?"
11:28AM <- Very sorry. this is Jr wife my husband is in Baylor hospital since last night he had a massive heart attack he is doing well now he had surgery last night almost didn't make it but he is stable now it's cause of the death of his father Thursday then his mom passed Friday please under stand husband will call u when he gets out of intensive care thank you Mrs. zita.f.garcia
NOTE: She txted a picture of him lying in a hospital bed.
12:27 -> I am so sorry. I know he was know feeling well when i talked to him last night. I will continue praying.
12:31PM : CALLED BAYLOR. THEY HAD NO PATIENT NAMED JUAN or JR GARCIA (or III)
12:37PM <- Thank you really hope u understand he will finish ur work my husband is very good at doing what he says
1:32PM -> No problem. Let me also make an offer... I am certain he is under a lot of stress right now and I believe he had bigger jobs than mine lined up. If it would be easier on your family, he could return money for an agreed amount instead. To be clear, I'm not asking for this just trying to give your options when you may not have a lot... but I need work here completed no later than the 24th.
2:29 <- My husband said they will be done Monday for sure
2:51PM -> Just make sure you take care of family first.
2:54PM <- Thank u
3:24 <- UNANSWERED PHONE CALL

Sunday June 15th: No adverse weather

3:56PM : TRIED BAYLOR AGAIN. STILL NO PATIENT NAMED JUAN OR JR GARCIA (or III).
4:03PM -> I tried to send flowers but the hospital couldn't locate him in the registry. Is he able to receive flowers?
5:37PM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
5:43PM <- We are here at the hospital waiting for him to get releases u will have a crew out their tomorrow morning
5:45PM -> I was trying to find out where I could send flowers but if you are getting released out may be too late.
5:46PM <- He was transferred to Parkland hospital sorry for any inconvenience
7:47PM : CALLED PARKLAND HOSPITAL. NO RECORD OF JUAN *or* JR GARCIA (or III).
Monday, June 16th: No adverse weather
8:52AM -> My wife says the crew is not there yet. What time are they going to start?
9:04AM <- Sir this is Jr I got home last night at 2:4G am crew was not notified I will be their with them at 7:00am tomorrow and we will finish u 100%tomorrow morning ok thank you
9:08AM -> Thank you. I hope I am showing compassion in your exceedingly difficult situation, but this is now the 4th date you've given me. It is now creating difficulty in my own home.
9:09AM <- PHONE CALL (1 min 14 sec). Called to assure job would be completed on Tuesday.
4:55PM -> It's been a long day for me and I suspect the same for you... are you still on track to come tomorrow at 7:00?
5:37PM <- Yes sir

Tuesday, June 17th: No adverse weather

7:20AM -> You still coming today?
7:29AM -> PHONE CALL (38 seconds). He answered said he was 12 minutes away.
8:13AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
8:31AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
8:32AM -> It's been an hour since you said you'd be here in 12 minutes. Problems?
8:44AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
9:00AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
9:36AM -> I need an update please. What's going on.
10:51AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
11:32AM -> PHONE CALL FROM WORK PHONE - He answered and said he was at U-haul trying to get a trailer. Hung up before I could talk to him.
2:46PM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
4:00PM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
7:21PM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL

Wednesday, June 18th: No adverse weather

7:17AM -> Are you coming today?
5:26PM <- Hello sir just got a hold of my Mason crew they have been very busy finishing a house and won't be able to make it to u r retaining wall till Saturday if they don't make it their I can reemburse u 500.00 plus 700 u still owe is well enough for us wall and stain let's wait till Saturday or the Jr

Thursday, June 19th: No adverse weather

11:56AM -> Please do. This has gone too long now.
12:43AM <- Yes sir.

Friday, June 20th: No adverse weather

5:02PM -> are we still on track for tomorrow?
5:03 <- Yes

Saturday, June 21st: No adverse weather

8:07AM -> What time will your crew get here?
8:44AM -> Does this mean you are not coming today?
9:00AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
9:06AM <- They have orders to go today
9:19AM -> If your crew can't make it, why don't you just come by and let's just settle up.
9:28AM <- If they don't show up today we will settle on Monday at noon at u r home or tk
9:29AM -> I'm not going to be home Monday.
9:30AM <- Then Tuesday
9:31AM -> How about today or tomorrow?
9:31AM <- I'm in Tyler till Monday sir working
9:32AM -> I'm working every day next week.
9:34AM -> Then I'll break it down and send it throw mail Monday noon and text u the amount
9:37AM -> PHONE CALL. I explained I needed the work completed and was more interested in getting the work completed today than money back next week. I also expressed concerns that painting was not completed and I did not receive epoxy materials for the patio. He claimed he put them in the garage. I said I did not see the materials but would check again.
9:46AM -> Not sure what to say about the epoxy. It's not in the garage.
11:17AM -> So we are still on the same page, they still aren't here.
2:41PM -> UNASWERED PHONE CALL
2:43PM -> I understand you are in Tyler so you can't do anything more than call them, but it is 2:43 and they never came today.
3:02PM <- Okay sir I can do it Monday around 12:00pm or we can return u some money
3:40PM -> I'd rather you finish the job...buy here's the thing. You have more given and missed 5 dates that you said you would be finished by. Every time you give me a date, you miss it.
3:42PM <- I will be there 100%sure please trust me this time please
9:17PM -> I need you to make this right. The best ending (and my desire) would be for you to finish the job Monday. I just don't see how that can happen. Can it be done?

Sunday, June 22nd

1:02PM -> So what should I expect tomorrow? You going to try and bring a Crew to finish?
5:22PM -> After this rain, the dirt is starting to collapse without a wall to hold it up.
5:49PM <- We will dig it out sir don't wory

Monday, June 23rd

11:14AM -> UNASWERED PHONE CALL
12:00PM -> Are you still going to make it by today? Bringing a crew? do you have an expected finish date?
2:19PM -> UNASWERED PHONE CALL
2:32PM -> I just talked to my wife. She says no one is at the house working. You said 100% sure you would be there.
4:30PM <- Sir just arriving with trailer trash and all from Tyler sorry didn't have battery rain held us back sorry sir
7:46PM -> What's the new plan to finish?

Tuesday, June 24th

6:53AM -> Good morning. Do you have a new plan to finish?
9:17AM -> UNANSWERED PHONE CALL
11:47AM -> He. What's happening sir? Any progress on my house?
11:59AM <- Be their at 7:00am
12:00PM -> Wednesday?
12:00PM <- [He texted pictures of a ceiling collapsed] This is how my house is with all the rain

Wednesday, June 25th

7:34AM -> I stayed until 7:30. You never came. do you plan to finish the job?
11:39AM <- Sir come on its pouring rain r u serious
11:44AM -> Not sure where you are, but it is not raining in Allen. It wasn't raining in Rockwall this morning, and radar doesn't show rain.
11:49AM <- Dallas was pouring an does quote it just started to stop raining sir
11:51AM -> Fine enough. What's the new plan then?
12:57PM -> Let's do this because I am sure you have bigger jobs than mine. What is a fair refund in your mind?

Thursday, June 26th

7:43AM -> What is a fair refund?
8:13AM <- U tell me
NOTE: I didn't answer the previous text because I had sent a certified letter answering this.

Monday, June 30th

7:00AM -> Did you send my refund yet?
4:47PM -> I need a refund before this ends badly
4:48PM -> Correction. I need a refund SO this doesn't end badly
5:19PM <- Excuse me ur asking for the refund I need to go to the office and see what should be reemberssed if any I have attorneys also sir so please no treats ts I'll be back with u in the next 7 days due to 4 of July holidays
5:25PM -> By my math, I calculate $4000 refund to be fair
6:08PM <- Hahaha come on are u serious what about the stone and painting sirrr
6:26PM -> It's all in my letter. You can give it to your lawyers.
6:28PM -> In fact, give me their name/address and I'll deliver it myself.
6:38PM <- 4000 r u really serious u adding r wrong

Tuesday, July 1st

8:29AM -> Perhaps somethng is added wrong then. But painting is not finished nor was it prepared well and I have overspray on bricks, patios and my pool heater. Wall was torn down but not started to be rebuilt. Nothing was done on pool deck or patio. Hole in ceiling was left alone. Debris from privacy wall was left. Three different stone masons have looked at the project since you left and said stone is not right kind nor enough to do the squares and rectangles. Those are my reasons. To say you deserve $1800 for your time here is hard to defend.
7:36PM <- I can return you 1,800 cashiers check if not we can discuss this in court.

Wednesday, July 2nd

8:28AM -> Okay

How I met Juan Garcia and how things unfolded

So here's the story as to how I came to have my unfortunate encounter,

On June 9th, I placed a Craigslist add soliciting bids from stone masons to repair a stone wall. Juan Garcia III is one of the contractors that responded that same day and asked to make a bid. Upon arriving, he took various measurements and provided a bid that was neither the lowest nor the highest bid. He also shared that his crews were not busy and he could begin work the following day. During the course of conversation (prior to signing the initial contract), we agreed he would also repair the entire retaining wall (not simply the part that was failing, repair the pool deck by removing the old Kooldeck and recovering with epoxy, and painting the wood surfaces of the house/detached garage. The original bid was for $5300- $3800 to be paid up front and $1500 due upon completion.

So on Monday June 9th, I provided a check for $3800 which he cashed the same day to provide for materials and cover the cost of labor for his crew. He agreed to have his crew start the next morning between 7:30AM and 8:00AM. The next day (Tuesday June 10th), his crew arrived at 7:55AM and began tearing down the old retaining wall. They also performed a limited amount of initial scraping. The crew left sometime in the early afternoon and said they would return the following day.

I have already forgotten what time they arrived on Wednesday, June 11th the crew arrived at a reasonable time and started to paint the house with the power sprayer. During the course of the day, I discussed expanding the project with Mr. Garcia- at this point, I still was not aware of his charade. We agreed he would also paint the upper patio, tear down a brick privacy wall at the corner of the house, repair cracks in the brick and also replace some damaged wood discovered while they were painting. The costs of these changes amounted to $700 additional. Mr. Garcia said that with the change, he needed additional money to cover the extra labor and supplies. I explained I was not providing any additional money until I had the stone and masonry supplies delivered- especially since they were supposed to be there that same day. We agreed the supplies would be delivered on Thursday morning and I would provide an additional $2000 upon delivery with $700 to be given when all work was completed. No notable work was done on the retaining wall this day.

The following morning (Thursday, June 12th), the crew arrived early (about 7:00AM) and started touching up the paint around the exterior. A dump truck arrived at 8:00AM and delivered a load of sand and stone. I greeted him and he explained that he was distraught because his father had died during the night. He said he needed the money immediately so he could go to Waxahachie to bid on a job and he was leaving his crew to complete the work. I advised he was free to take care of personal issues and he assured me it would be completed that day. At 10:22AM, I noticed it was very quiet outside. I went outside and the crew and equipment was gone. This was the last time I saw Mr. Garcia or any of his crew.

A history of criminal offenses

The more I dig, the more I discover. While I have not been able to perform an exhaustive search of civil cases in the area, and my searching of criminal cases is limited, I did find the following information:

COLLIN COUNTY
He has an active warrant for his arrest in Collin county for violating terms of his probation.

The original charge that led to probation in addition to two other charges for check fraud are shown below:

I also found the following information out of Collin County through mugshots.com:

WILLIAMSON COUNTY
Includes records from other counties- some duplicated

HUNT COUNTY

DALLAS COUNTY

Additionally, he has a recent arrest in Dallas county that is still waiting to go to trial.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Questionable excuses

This is the part that is most difficult because if true, I would hate to be the person that is unmerciful:

He said that his father had a heart attack and died on Wednesday
He said his mother had a heart attack and died within 24 hours on Thursday
He had a heart attack Friday night and went to the hospital

The above is not the entire list of excuses, other things I have been told include:

Rain at rock yard prevented the truck from picking up the stone
He told the crew to show up, but they just didn't do as instructed
His crew was working on another job
Rain in Tyler, TX delayed him from arriving in Rockwall on time
Battery on phone died so he couldn't contact me
Problems with trailer so he had to go to U-haul to get a new trailer
The ceilings in his own house fell from the recent rains
It is raining (although radar shows it is clear)
Paraphrase: On june 30th... I need 7 days to determine a refund. 4th of July weekend is coming.

But let me address the top 3 because if true, they would justify a certain amount of delay and warrant additional patience:

He told me his father and mother died on Wednesday and Thursday respectively... but when his wife texted (while he 'was in the hospital'), she said they died Thursday and Friday- so the dates don't align.
I checked the obituaries (now 2 weeks later) for Laredo, TX and all of Texas for deaths of anyone named Garcia. According to public records, there is no one with that name that died at that time that could have been his parents.
When I called Baylor hospital to inquire (i was going to send flowers), they said they had no patient by that name.
I texted and asked where i could send flowers and his wife told me he had been transferred to Parkland. When I called Parkland, they had no patient by that name either.

In case it matters, I inquired about JR Garcia, J.R. Garcia, Juan Garcia, and Juan Garcia III. All 4 names came up empty.

As I'm building things, I'll also address the excuses about the ceilings falling and the idea it is raining. First the rain:

On the issue of rain causing problems at his house... he sent the following pictures as evidence of his problems keeping him from appearing:

So here's my problem, there is NO furniture in this house. In fact, the only things that are really identifiable in the picture (other than the mess) is the box that says "MITER SAW" in the bottom right picture. In other words, this isn't HIS house. It is simply another construction project.

For the documented record, he has also performed work in Tyler and Grand Prairie since leaving my house in disarray.

A historical pattern of abandonment

The following complaints were found in addition to the $5800 I provided. Added all together, this is $34,380 since March of 2013.

UPDATE: Since abandoning my job, I have learned of an additional 15K he has taken from victims in Grand Prairie in almost identical scams.

=======================================================================

AMOUNT: $4000

Complaint: 1.Abandonment of job as of August 19 2013.We paid you the agreed the $3250.00 up front per your request; you were to finish the job for the final payment as agreed.3.We gave you an additional ($750.00 payment so you could pay your employees) draw against you contract and you made the following agreement signed by you on 08-17-2013 and witnessed by MAP Rep. 4.You have been paid a total of $4000.00 and may have paid out ($700.00) towards the job according to your employees. and you Sir have left us with a major disaster such as you only completed (25%) of the work, you Sir left dangerous walls left Not braced that could fall onto the general public. You Sir told your employees that you were coming to job to pay them including a lady you hired from the adjacent apartment complex. You used U-Haul trucks to haul away debris and had your employee put it in his name so he could pay the bill for you?5.You Sir do not have the experience that you said that you have in fact you do not know how to adjust a hard hat?6.According to your conviction records you have many Thefts of checks and committed fraud, etc we should have checked your back ground first, if we had we could not hire felons like yourself for all of the oblivious reasons.7.Few more violations below. 22.We are requesting you to pay us for the losses that we have had to endure, suffer due to your actions ($6150.00) in a cashier checks made out to MAP Investment Group, LLC within 10 days of receipt of the request.
Product_Or_Service: contract to perform demo work

ref:
http://www.bbb.org/dallas/business-reviews/contractors-general/juan-garcia-construction-in-dallas-tx-90241320/complaints#breakdown
http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/JUAN-GARCIA-11-CONSTRUCTION/dallas-Texas-76210/JUAN-GARCIA-11-CONSTRUCTION-RIP-OFF-Hired-Garcia-to-demolish-and-haul-away-a-two-story-b-1080153
http://juangarciaiiiconstructionreview.blogspot.com/

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AMOUNT: $6200

Job is not done as expected, home insurance policy will be cancel if job is not done by Jun 3 crews has not show for 5 days. contractor unproffesional
We did a contract on may 14 the approximate time for this job to finish was given by the contractor was five days, I explained the situation that the job needed to be done by June 3rd due to home insurance purposes. Contractor asked for $6200 in advance for material and to pay his labor. I was told I would get a receipt for the material which did not happen. On May the 20th a different crew took over the house work sent by ****** Construction. A week went by and the crew stopped going for non payment, the crew leader told me that I needed to send a payment to ****** Construction so he can get paid because the check I wrote had been cancelled. I told the crew members that I had pay ****** Construction $6200 in cash. My house is a complete mess and now I have n o idea who is going to finish the job.

ref:
http://www.bbb.org/dallas/business-reviews/contractors-general/juan-garcia-construction-in-dallas-tx-90241320/complaints#breakdown

=======================================================================

AMOUNT: $13500

Has not finished the job will not return my phone calls. Job is paid in full. Have no bathroom and house is tore up from them.
Wrote a check for 6000.00 on feb 22 and 7500.00 on march 1, to remodel living room and master bathroom. On Feb 23 ****** and his crew did demo at my house on living room and bathroom. they showed up everyday after that until the second check was cashed for 7500.00. I have not heard from ****** since march 1, he wont return my calls and the job is no where near finished. The drywall in the living room is not done right there are cracks and gaps in the drywall, the electrical in the bathroom is not right either one light wont shut off another flickers when off and some of the outlets are not working anymore.

ref:
http://www.bbb.org/dallas/business-reviews/contractors-general/juan-garcia-construction-in-dallas-tx-90241320/complaints#breakdown

=======================================================================

AMOUNT: $1300

Juan Garcia is a FRAUD. He contracted with me to remodel a bathroom. He took $1300 from me. Call the Police if he contacts you. We signed a contract to do business on a rental property of mine and when we first met we agreed upon an amount for the complete job. I paid him half to start the job and he was to finish in 3 days time. Well, he decided to do some demo and then never showed up to the property again. I called him. He had the nerve to not return my call but texted me he was out of town and would not be back for a week. What the hell??? So, my tenants over the Thanksgiving holiday had a master bathroom that was half demo'd and inoperable. Juan proceeded to text me on the following Monday that he wouldn't do any work unless I paid him the other half. Really? By this time I realized that this Fraud had scammed me of my initial $1300. Stay clear of this Fraud. Call the Police, Dallas County DA, Trade Commission and Texas General Attorney

ref:
http://www.yellowpages.com/mesquite-tx/mip/juan-garcia-construction-481080054
http://www.citysearch.com/profile/788672950/mesquite_tx/juan_garcia_construction.html

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AMOUNT: $3000

Juan Garcia Construction in Dallas was referred by Rainbow Restoration in Denton, Texas. This little fu*er, Juan Garcia (if this is his real name) showed up in response to needed bathroom repairs due to flooding. He stole $3000, never did any work, and never came back. I'm guessing he won't live long at this rate, but AVOID THIS THIEF until that time.

He drives a pimped out 2001 red Chevy truck, license number BR9 2605

Phone numbers (214) 527-4355 (469) 324-8082
Zita F Garcia
7721 Gayglen Dr

ref:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Juan-Garcia-Construction/Dallas-Texas-75217/Juan-Garcia-Construction-in-Dallas-Juan-Garcia-Construction-in-Dallas-Ripoff-Artist-Dalla-1051277

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AMOUNT: $580

I posted an Ad on Craigslist looking for a contractor to do insulation work on my home as well as some weatherstripping on my doors. JR Construction, AKA Juan Garcia responded to my ad. I spoke with him on the phone and via text message, we agreed to meet in Dallas to sign a contract and discuss. Signed contract and Juan stated he needed more than half of the money up front. I hesitantly did so via a $350 Check. We met and signed the contract on Thursday, February 27, 2014. He agreed to complete the work Saturday Morning 3/1/2014.

On Saturday, 3/1/2014 he showed up to complete the work. He completed the door weatherstripping and his insulation truck showed up shortly after that. He said he had to leave as it was his daughter's 15th birthday party and asked for the remainder of the money. I paid him $230 in cash which was the agreed upon remainder of the contract.

About 20 minutes pass and he calls my cell phone and said there is a problem with the check I gave him on Thursday and that he needs to collect the $350 in cash.

I checked with my bank and the check had cleared the same day I wrote it to him. I believe he went to my bank and cashed it, but I'm not sure. I told him I would pay him no more money and he needed to complete the job. He said he can't complete the job as he tried to deposit the check and my bank had put a 7 day hold on the check. I took a picture of my online bank statement showing the check had cleared my bank and sent it to him via text . I demanded he give me my money back or complete the work. He said he would come back to my house and straighten it out.

He then called the subcontractor (Nico's Insulation in Lewisville, TX) and said that he wouldn't be paying them as "I didn't pay him". They knocked on my door and I spoke to them and explained that I had already paid him. After waiting about half an hour for him to show back up at my house to straighten this out, the subcontractors said they believe he may have scammed both of us. They said he didn't pay them yet and they are afraid he has done this before. They did not go into detail about how they knew he had done this before, just that they didn't trust him. They were very nice to me and encouraged me to call the police and file a report. Which I plan on doing in a couple of days if he doesn't get the work done.

After looking on the internet and on ripoffreport, I see that others have been scammed by this contractor and that he has a criminal record for this sort of thing. Can't believe I was so foolish as to not look into this contractor further!

ref:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/JR-Construction/Mesquite-Texas/JR-Construction-Juan-Garcia-JR-Insulation-Work-Ripoff-Theft-Stolen-Took-my-Money-Thi-1127524

http://www.pandahi.com/1025473854.html

Monday, June 23, 2014

An unfinished privacy wall and brick corner restoration

This is the way he left matters after tearing down the brick privacy wall.

An unfinished ceiling

This is the way he left the ceiling. I ended up purchasing the supplies and completing the repair myself because racoons have a history of getting in my attic and I couldn't wait for him to return.

An unfinished paint job

This is the state that my paint job has been left in for 11 days as of June 23rd:

An unfinished retaining wall

This is the state that my wall has been left in for 11 days as of June 23rd:

A letter of demand

Following is the letter I sent via certified mail:

June 24, 2014

Juan Garcia Construction
7721 Gayglen Drive, Dallas, TX 75217 (claimed home address)
2517 Franklin Dr Ste J, Mesquite, TX 75150 (claimed business address)

Dear Mr. Garcia:

This letter is to serve notice that I am seeking to terminate our previous contractual agreement. Additionally, this notice is to inform you that I will not permit any additional work on my property until we reach a mutually agreed continuing agreement in writing. Specific concerns and complaints include:
• At the time I am typing this, you have gone 12 days without appearing on my property to complete ANY work.
• You have set (and now missed) 6 separate deadlines to complete the work.
• You have not completed ANY single task that you contracted to perform.
o You did not install additional soffit vents per our initial agreement
o You did not perform a reasonable job preparing to paint (scraping, sanding, caulking).
o Although you sprayed the soffits around the house and detached garage, you did not complete cutting in the majority of perimeter.
o Although you removed the retaining wall around the pool, you did no work to begin reconstructing it.
o You started to remove the leaning brick privacy wall, but you did not remove the debris as promised. Similarly, you did not begin to remove the matching brick privacy wall and repair the corner of the house as requested.
o Although you purchased the material to repair the hole in the covered patio ceiling, you did not make the requested repair. Furthermore, the materials purchased were cut incorrectly so they could not even be used to complete the job.
o Although some materials (sand, stone and concrete) were delivered and left to do the rebuild the retaining wall, two other stone masons said the materials onsite are not sufficient to complete the work.
o You did not leave the primer or epoxy to resurface the pool deck nor perform any prep work including scraping, filling in cracks, or repairing the pool coping.
• You have become increasingly slow to answer text messages or communicate delays. Furthermore, you have now stopped answering phone calls.

At this point I have provided two checks totaling $5,800. You stated your crew receives $180/day and you take $250/day- for a total of $430/day. You worked for 2 days for a total of $860. I will also provide a 25% allowance for the 2 hours you worked on Thursday for $107.50. This makes for a total labor allowance of $967.50. The stone that was delivered is of no use to me for this project and you are welcome to come take it back as I am now refusing to accept it while I pursue other ways to complete the project. Add 2 yards (generous) of sand @ $55/yard and 5 bags of cement @ $17/bag, I will allow another $200 for the materials for the wall. Finally 10 gallons of paint at $30/gallon plus a case of caulking (12 @ $2) makes for $324 for painting. Added together, I calculate a reasonable cost for materials and labor so far to be $1491. I will round to the nearest hundred in your favor for $1500. This means the amount I am seeking to be returned for services not performed is $4,300. To compensate for any miscalculations on my part and to be finished with this, I will accept a cashiers check or money order for $4,000 even and consider the matter resolved. These funds should be provided within 2 weeks of the date of this letter.

Anthony Morris
<my address here>

Recognizing the person

Here is a pic to recognize him as well as his personal vehicle he drove everytime he came to my house:

His Texas ID Card

(Note: I wasn't paying attention when he told me it was his driver's license)

(Looking at his arrest criminal record, it looks like he may not actually HAVE a drivers license)

(Key identification items obscured so I don't violate any laws)

IMPORTANT: I have recently learned he may no longer driver the H3 Hummer. Someone told me he is not driving a new Harley Davidson model dark (possibly black) F150 pickup. At the time of the siting, this vehicle still had dealer tags on it.

His Vehicle: 2006 Black Hummer H3

His license plate
(First part obscured so I don't legally break any laws,
but I want to help future people identify his vehicle)

I am less willing to take steps to preserve privacy for pictures I didn't take myself. The following information can be found on other websites.

This is a vehicle someone observed him driving in August of 2013- they said it is registered to his wife Zita.

Following are criminal mugshots found through mugshots.com:

Who is Juan Garcia III and his 'construction' company

This blog is created to document issues the work experience with Juan Garcia III and his company "JR Construction Company". Other people have also referred to his company as "Juan Garcia Construction"

His claimed home address is: 7721 Gayglen Drive, Dallas TX 75217
His claimed business address is: 2517 Franklin Dr Ste J, Mesquite, TX 75150
The phone number he is providing at the moment is: (469) 682-7627

Before beginning my own review, I wish to share some reviews I wish I would have read before signing the contract.

Why am I upset with Juan Garcia construction company?
He started work/demolition but did not actually complete a single task I asked him to do. The last day I saw him or his crew was Thursday June 12th.

Stated days he would complete work (or at least be at the house):
1) Promised Wednesday, June 11th to be complete Thursday, June 12th
Restated Thursday morning they would finish that day.
2) Promised Thursday afternoon to finish job Saturday, June 14
3) Promised Saturday, June 14 they would be done Monday, June 16th
4) Promised Monday, June 16th to finish Tuesday, June 17th
5) Promised Wednesday, June 18th to finish Saturday, June 21st
6) Promised Saturday, June 21st to be at the house on Monday, June 23rd.
7) Promised Tuesday, June 24th to be at house on Wednesday, June 25th