Construction Gone Bad

[PapaPump]

This situation has occurred in Ohio.

I hired a construction company to build a pole barn. There is a signed
contract stating a fee of 7000 will be paid. Half up front, half upon
completion and customer satisfaction. The company quit the job half
way through and left a disaster for a barn. Four other contractors
state that it must be torn down and started over. The original company
has claimed no assets and changed their name and continue to do
construction. I have lost about 23,000 total. Can I get any of this back?

Thank You

[lwpat]

Hard to say. Paying up front is always a big warning signal. The first thing to do is to check and see whether your state requires a contractor's license. If so you can file a complaint with the board. Some boards have funds to pay a portion when something like this happens. After that you can file a complaint with your State Attorney General and with the BBB. This may not help you but possibly keep someone else from being in the same position. If it is local, you might consider the newspaper.

You can always sue and depending on the form of business might be able to reach the assets of the principals. However this is not cheap and you can expect to spend 2000 to start and probably 10,000 before you are done. When you are done, all you will have is a judgment which you have to try and collect.

[aaron]

Was the original construction company bonded? If so, it may be possible to recover the judgment through the bonding agency.

[PapaPump]

Being naive, I was told this company was bonded, insured, and a member
of the BBB. I have a copy of their insurance policy and have filed with the
BBB. If they were bonded, I cant really say. The company is an LLC. Does
this mean anything? The BBB tried to be an arbitrator but the owner claims
I should seek money from the material suppliers due to poor quality
materials. The four other contractors I brought in for quotes say that poor
construction caused the building to lean and warp. The spacing of trusses
and posts are not in accordance with the state approved prints.
On the insurance policy is a contractors license number.

Thank You for your time and advice.