When Paul decided to leave California and live in Arizona, he decided on building a new home in Maricopa.
And he gave the builder a $37,000 deposit to get started.
"I gave them a check. I had no intentions of not buying the house," Paul says.
Then his life changed.
Paul says his wife showed signs of dementia, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and her doctor advised against a move to Arizona.
"You should take her back to California, because we have two kids here, to be with family," Paul says the doctor told him.
Paul says he tried to get that deposit back from the builder.
"She said, 'you know we don't do refunds.' I said, 'yeah, I knew that but kind of extenuating circumstances,'" he says.
Our Let Joe Know team sees problems with deposits, contracts, new builds, and renovations every day.
They can be big money items like Paul's $37,000 deposit or they can be a just as frustrating issue, like Carolyn's $100 pool problem.
The 81-year-old Mesa woman wanted a "free estimate for a pool repair."
Carolyn's son says she "did not agree to have any work done."
But the pool company keeps sending invoices for $119 and Carolyn was being sent to collections.
They let me know and our problem solver Jim took it on.
The owner told him they did make a repair, but when Jim asked for proof, he said there was "no documentation" found.
So, the owner decided to end the invoices saying, "there will be no more collection attempts."
Problem solved!
Viewer Steve's issue seemed simple enough.
Despite painting and paint warranties, Steve says the painting contractor wouldn't handle cracking and fading on his Fountain Hills house.
Steve let me know and our volunteers got went to the owner.
He said the complaint came after the warranty period, but Steve did a smart thing.
He kept his text complaint showing it was sent during the warranty.
The contractor came back and out and repainted what needed to be done.
Steve writes: "greatly appreciate all the work that you've done since they never would have responded without you."
Another problem solved!
When Paul in California couldn't get his deposit back, a friend here had some advice.
"He said, 'you should contact Joe on Channel 15,'" Paul says.
He did, and our Let Joe Know Better Business Bureau volunteer Emily took this one.
Shortly after, Paul got a call from the builder.
They had what Paul calls a "change of mind."
"I said, gee, I wonder why?... I was very surprised. I had given up on it," he says.
Paul got a deposit back for the full amount of $37,000.
"I was over the moon, just delighted," Paul says.
Signed contracts are legally binding but it's good when businesses can make exceptions.
Now Paul can now concentrate on his family.
We can help you too.
Email me: joe@abc15.com
Are you a problem solver? Fill out the volunteer form and become part of our team helping the community.
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