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Elderly Detroit woman says contractor owes her money but refused to pay

Posted at 7:02 PM, Aug 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-30 22:14:53-04
Seventy-six-year-old Dorothy Bennett says her frustration has been at an all time high. 
 
Last fall, she contracted Great Lakes Fence to build a more secure boundary along the side perimeter of her home to deal with trespassing on the property. 
 
Bennet says she paid out a $2,000 dollar deposit the $4,000 job, but before the construction work ever began, she had a change of heart. 
 
She says she felt it was a bad investment given the way the neighborhood was deteriorating. The home is situated by burned down and abandoned properties, making the senior question how long she even wants to stay in the area. 
   
So, she decided to cancel the project. The contract states if Bennett cancels before the work begins, she's entitled to all of the deposit minus 20 percent of the total. 
 
But after asking for the refund, she says she was told the company would not return the money. Their rationale is that the material had already been ordered. However, details on that were not stipulated in the contract. 
 
So our Taking Action team reached out to the company ourselves. They declined an interview, but a few days later, they did agree to issue a check for $1,100, which is the deposit minus the 20 percent owed to the company. 
 
Bennett says she's relieved to finally have closure on an issue she's been fighting to resolve for eight months.