Ottawa homeowners lose thousands to absent contractor
A number of Ottawa homeowners want swift action after they allege a man they hired to perform major heating and cooling work took their money months ago without completing or—in some cases—even starting the jobs.
"He did half the job, left in the middle of it, installed a hot water heater that was not to code and stopped working after a couple of days," Dan Cockerham said.
Cockerham hired Mahmoud El Sharafah and his company Comfort Level One Heating and Cooling earlier this year. He says after months of excuses, he's going through small claims court to try to get money back.
This week, Cockerham met up with strangers he met online who had similar experiences at the Ottawa police station. They had filed reports but wanted to go in person to try to speed up the response.
"It's extremely frustrating. I'm angry, I'm pissed, I feel violated," said Rawa Maadarani who hired El Sharafah in June for a new furnace, air conditioner, water heater and duct work.
"I lost $9,800 to this man. He never returned, he never brought any equipment, he kept putting me off for the assessments and, basically, I lost it. He gave me a cheque finally on Monday but he said, 'Don't cash it because I have no funds in there.'"
El Sharafah has not been charged. CTV News tried to get in touch with him several times—at a business address listed online and at home. He did not respond to phone calls or emails.
Websites like Homestars and the Better Business Bureau show several complaints from former customers across the province.
"All of his aliases came up, all of these different company names going back to Toronto in the last 10 years or so and I started getting contacted by people from the review that I posted almost every day," Cockerham said.
Ottawa police won't comment on this specific case, but say they investigate complaints as they come in.
"We get between 6,000 to 7,000 files a year and we only have so many people who can investigate those files," said Staff Sgt. Cameron Graham of the fraud unit. "It takes much longer than we would like and it takes much longer than people would like for us to get to those files but unfortunately we have to take them one at a time."
Some tips for consumers from the Better Business Bureau include getting multiple estimates, checking references, avoiding paying cash, and not paying more than a third of the project's total amount for a deposit.
Cockerham and Maadarani say they want answers and their money.
"Usually you know I'm pretty diligent, I do my research but this time I guess I wasn't paying attention," Maadarani said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.