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
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.