3 Delco Home Contractors Hit With Legal Actions: AG's Office

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Three home contractors in Delaware county were hit with legal actions by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

Thirty-five home contractors across Pennsylvania are facing legal actions after allegedly failing to comply with the state's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act and for various construction-related issues.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the bureau filed 35 legal actions in 17 counties across Pennsylvania involving home improvement contractors.

Of the 35 legal actions: 18 lawsuits were filed, 9 Assurances of Voluntary Compliance were filed, and three enforcement actions were taken for failure to comply with court order. Five actions were previously filed and publicized.

Among those three are Damen Looney; Girvan Goulbourne, G & G Home Improvement; and Kyrie Walker, all of Delaware County.

A full list of contractors and the legal actions they face is featured below.

Shapiro's office said these suits were part of a statewide home improvement initiative, from October 2018 to April 2019, which focused on contractors’ compliance with the Commonwealth’s Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA).

Home improvement contractors are required to register with the Bureau of Consumer Protection biannually under HICPA.

The legal actions address issues of non-registration, or failure to maintain current registration; the use of contracts that failed to comply with the requirements under HICPA; and failing to begin work, complete work, or completing work in a substandard, shoddy manner.

In one instance, a consumer in Cambria County was scammed by a home improvement contractor company, Gillin Construction, to restore their roof.

They paid the contractor over $10,000 and only half of the work was completed. In September 2018, the consumer entered into a $6,700 contract with the company and paid a $4,000 down payment for Gillin Construction to begin their work, but the contractor left the consumer’s home unfinished after ripping the shingles off of their roof. The consumer only saw the contractor again when he came back to ask for more money, not to work on the roof. Additionally, leaking from their unfinished roof caused $3,500 worth of damages inside the house.

“Gillin Construction said they had performed some repairs for my neighbors, so I trusted them. It was an incredibly frustrating time for my family when we had to pay another contractor $4700 to complete the work that Gillin left unfinished," the consumer said. "It only took them three hours to cover the part of my roof that was leaking. I am grateful to Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s Bureau of Consumer Protection for taking action to prevent other consumers from being scammed by a home improvement contractor."

Shapiro also provided a series of tips for consumers to follow in choosing a contractor to improve or work on their homes:

• Know what permits are required: Be aware that local municipalities may require permits for home improvement projects and for certain specialized work. Talk to your municipality and find out if permits are required, for example; electrical, plumbing, etc.
• Before entering into a contract with a home improvement contractor, ask for local references, and call them to see if they were satisfied with the contractor’s work.
• Solicit multiple bids for the work you need. Make sure each contractor is submitting bids according to the same home improvement project plans.

“Pennsylvanians suffer when dishonest home improvement contractors go unchecked," Shapiro said. "Consumers should check to be sure the contractor is registered with my Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting the online database at www.attorneygeneral.gov.”

Pennsylvanians who believe they have been the victim of a home improvement contractor or disreputable business practices should contact the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555 or by email at scams@attorneygeneral.gov or visit the Attorney General's website here to file a complaint.

The full list of contractors is below

Eighteen of the 35 legal actions taken by the Bureau of Consumer Protection were lawsuits against the following:

• Aaron Gillin d/b/a Gillin Construction, of Cambria County
• Advanced Heating and Roofing, Inc. and Edward L. Smith d/b/a Advanced Heating, Roofing & AC, Inc. and Advanced Roofing & Siding, of Philadelphia County
• A-Z Rehab and Restoration, LLC and Domingo Mendoza, of Berks County
• Billy J. Fischer d/b/a Billy’s Home Repair & Maintenance, of Northumberland
• County
• Breathe Easy Ventilation, Inc. and Joseph J. Rappa, of Chester County
• Damen Looney, of Delaware County
• Danny Allen d/b/a Danny R. & Son Contracting, of Philadelphia County
• David Dehoutaint, of Northumberland County
• Dustin Gerth d/b/a DG Lawn & Landscaping, of Lancaster County
• Jason P. Bell d/b/a JPB Enterprises, of Luzerne County
• John Picone d/b/a Picone Construction and JDP Construction, of Northampton County
• Komar & Komar, Inc. and Bohdan G. Komar, of Northampton County
• Luis R. Yunga Pintado d/b/a Luis General Contracting, of Philadelphia County
• Mark Kitchens d/b/a MK Roofing. of Philadelphia County
• Michael B. Hinton d/b/a Michael B. Hinton Co., of Philadelphia County
• Nicholas V. Denicola d/b/a Denicola Home Remodeling, of Philadelphia County
• Richard Barone d/b/a Barone Masonry; Barone Construction; C & G Masonry/Concrete; Barone Concrete; C & G Waterproofing; and Barone Masonry/Concrete, of Allegheny County
• Zeljko Milosevic, of Lebanon County

Nine of the 35 legal actions taken by the Bureau of Consumer Protection were Assurances of Voluntary Compliance with:

• Abbes General Contractor, LLC, of Philadelphia County
• Craig Ebert d/b/a Taylor Coal Stove, of Berks County
• Girvan Goulbourne d/b/a G & G Home Improvement, of Delaware County
• Jon Coover d/b/a Central PA Remodeling, of Lancaster County
• Kenneth Kraycar d/b/a Kraycar Tile and Marble Installation and Kraycar Tile & Bathroom Remodeling, of Lehigh County
• Kyrie Walker, of Delaware County
• M & M Tree Service, Inc. d/b/a M & M Tree and Landscaping Service, of Chester County
• Samatbek, Inc. and Samatbek Cholponkulov, of Philadelphia County
• Suvad Aljukic d/b/a Denis S. Construction, of Erie County

The bureau filed three — out of the 35 legal actions — enforcement actions for violating the terms of an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance or prior court order, against:

• DPR Land & Hardscape Design, LLC, of Dauphin County
• Harth And Sons General Contracting, LLC; H &S Contracting and Blacktopping, Inc; and Charles G. Harth, of Luzerne County
• Marcus Remodeling, LLC and Mark Bechler, of Westmoreland County

These actions were taken in addition to previously filed and publicized actions which included:

• Element Kitchen & Bath Design, LLC and Michael J. Sheehan, of Chester County
• Melanson Designs, LLC and Justin G. Melanson, of Centre County
• PA Remodelers, LLP; Bathmakeover Pro, LLC; and Jeffrey D. Bollinger, of Westmoreland County
• T.E.N., LLC; Erika F. Sherlock; and Torrie B. Kolb, of Pike County
• Timmy L. Jeffery d/b/a Roadway Blacktop, of Erie County