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Farmington Hills couple says contractor took thousands, never did the work

Posted at 10:09 PM, May 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-31 08:02:35-04

Helga Hrlic says she feels like she’s been scammed. Last July, she hired Michigan Sunrooms to remodel her out of date solarium.

But just weeks after forking a $7500 deposit to begin the work, she says the company went silent.

When the couple finally got ahold of the contractor Erik Brakke, they immediately asked for their money back, but Brakke said he couldn’t give it to them.

Our Taking Action team went to Michigan Sunrooms looking for answers, only to find a completely different company in its place.

And though we couldn't reach Brakke in person, we did reach him by phone.

"I told them there's no money, there's no company. We folded 8 months ago,” Brakke told Channel 7.

Brakke says the company went belly up just a month after Hrlic hired him for the gig.

He says he’s willing to complete the project but only if Hrlic can buy the materials herself first.

She says that was never part of the agreement, and she’s refusing pay out more money to a man she says she doesn’t trust.

"What guarantees do we have? He’s lied to us."

Brakke says he's happy to pay back the $7500 when he gets a job, but at this point the only action Hrlic can take is in court.