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Two Metro Detroit families say they're out thousands by same contractor

Posted at 11:59 AM, Nov 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-19 11:59:07-05

Nearly $15,000 of hard-earned money is possibly gone for one White Lake couple. 

In December of 2016, Doug and Cindy Ellis hired Jerry’s Concrete to construct a new 28 x 30 foot garage…that would help off-set some of their limited space. They took a mock blue-print of what they wanted to  company head, Jerry Wonsey, who told them it would be done by April or May at the latest. 

So they forked over a hefty down-payment. Immediately, they say phone calls began to go un-answered. 

"We start sending texts and emails....hey what’s going on? ...and nothing," said Cindy Ellis. 

When Wonsey broke his silence, they say, it was always with an excuse, either that it was raining or that he'd been sick or busy.

Last September, Ricardo Duran also hired Jerry’s concrete, forking over $25,000. 

The materials -- he says -- were delivered, but he tells us workers never showed. Seven months passed, said the retiree, before Wonsey even began the project, but he says he failed to complete it within a reasonable amount of time. 

He says a ramp was left un-finished, along with this blacktop pavement, he tells us was destroyed in the process.  

Duran says he was forced to contract another company to finish the work , costing him an additional $4,000 plus.

7's Taking Action team went looking for answers. They couldn't immediately reach Wonsey in person, but talked to him on the phone. In a statement, he agreed to refund the Ellises and admitted that he “took on too much work to be able to do [the] job in a timely fashion.”

The couple is now waiting for that check to arrive.

As for Duran, Wonsey is refusing to accept any responsibility.

The resident says he's now going to pursue legal action.