NEWS 5 INVESTIGATORS CONTINUE COVERAGE OF THE COLORADO-BASED "HOME ADVISOR" THE SITE CLAIMS IT CONDUCTS BACKGROUND CHECKS ON ITS NETWORK OF REPUTABLE CONTRACTORS.
BUT TONIGHT- SERIOUS QUESTIONS THE COMPANY WON'T ANSWER-- AFTER CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ERIC ROSS CAUGHT THEM SENDING AN UNLICENSED CONTRACTOR WITH A
LONG CRIMINAL RECORD TO PEOPLE'S HOMES.
PRE-TAPED INTRO- ERIC ROSS WE OFTEN HEAR ABOUT CONTRACTORS FAILING TO DO WORK THEY WERE PAID TO COMPLETE.
BUT THIS CASE STANDS OUT---BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID TRAVIS HUBER NOT COMPLETE MULTIPLE HOME RENOVATION JOBS....WE UNCOVERED HE IS A SEX OFFENDER WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD
DATING BACK DECADES.
SOMETHING HOMEADVISOR MISSED.
THE SAYING GOES "ONCE A FELON,
ALWAYS A FELON." AND SOME PEOPLE---NEVER CHANGE.
THIS IS TRAVIS HUBER AKA...MICHAEL TRAVIS HUBER.
AND THESE ARE JUST SOME OF HIS CUSTOMERS WHO HIRED HIM FOR REPAIR WORK---AND CLAIM HE TOOK
THEIR MONEY.
"WE NEEDED AN OLD TUB PULLED OUT AND A BIG SHOWER PUT IN--BIG ENOUGH FOR A WHEELCHAIR." DEBBIE HULME HIRED HUBER TO REMODEL HER MASTER BATHROOM.
HE DID THE DEMO---AND THAT'S ABOUT IT.
THE PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE ARE SELF EXPLANATORY.
"THE BATHROOM IS COMPLETELY TRASHED TO THE POINT WHERE I HAVE TO SLEEP IN THE OTHER END OF THE TRAILER IN ORDER TO HAVE A BATHROOM NEAR ME."
DEBBIE IS JUST ONE OF A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO SAYS SHE USED THE WE
BATHROOM NEAR ME." DEBBIE IS JUST ONE OF A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO SAYS SHE USED THE WEB SITE "HOMEADVISOR" TO FIND A REPUTABLE AND LICENSED CONTRACTOR.
"I'M VERY UPSET WITH HOMEADVISOR.
WE THOUGHT ABOUT POSSIBLY BRINGING THEM TO COURT BECAUSE I
THINK THEY ARE PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE." SHE ULTIMATELY TOOK HUBER TO COURT AND WON A $7 THOUSAND 500 DOLLAR JUDGEMENT WHICH SHE SAYS HUBER HAS NOT PAID.
"I WANTED A FULL PATIO ON A SLAB OF CONCRETE THAT I HAD POURED PREVIOUSLY." NASH LUCERO SAYS HUBER TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HIM TOO. "I GOT ON HOMEADVISOR AND I DID SOME RESEARCH, PUT HIS
NAME IN AND IT ALL CAME UP FAVORABLE.
THERE WERE OTHER REFERENCES ON THERE THAT GAVE HIM GOOD REFERENCES AND I WENT AHEAD AND WENT WITH IT." BUT THIS IS HOW LUCERO SAYS HUBER LEFT HIS PATIO...
THE ROOF IS UNEVEN AND THE ELECTRICAL WORK WAS NOT DONE.
"HE WAS GOING TO PUT THE GUTTERS BACJK ON, PUT THE TRIMMING BACK
ON AND HE QUIT---HE STOPPED." USING PUEBLO REGIONAL BUILDING'S WEB SITE----WE SEARCHED FOR TRAVIS HUBER AND FOUND HE HAS NO ELECTRICAL LICENSE...NO PLUMBING LICENSE...NO GENERAL
CONTRACTOR'S LICENSE----NO LICENSE AT ALL.
"HE'S LEFT PEOPLE DEVASTATED AND FINANCIALLY RUINED." ROBIN CAMPOS HIRED HUBER TO INSTALL NEW FLOORING..WHICH HE DID START.
"AS HE WAS DOING THE FLOORS WE HAD TO REMOVE THE BASEBOARDS.
WHEN HE REMOVED THEM, HE WAS BREAKING EVERY SINGLE ONE.
THERE WAS NOT ONE SALVEAGABLE BASEBOARD AND HE SAID WE HAD TO
GET NEW ONES."
HE ALSO PUT HOLES IN THE WALLS AS HE WAS RIPPING OUT THE BASEBOARDS." FEARING HUBER WAS DOING MORE DAMAGE THAN ACTUAL WORK----SHE FIRED HIM.
IN ADDITION TO NOT HAVING A CONTRACTOR'S LICENSE, NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES UNCOVERED HUBER'S CRIMINAL RECORD DATING BACK TO THE 90'S...
HE HAS CONVICTIONS FOR CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, TRESPASSING, ASSAULT, THEFT, AGGRIVATED MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT, AND SEX ASSAULT.
CONVICTIONS HOME ADVISOR DIDN'T
SEEM TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT....AND NEITHER DID HIS VICTIMS AT THE TIME THEY HIRED HIM.
"I FOUND OUT AFTER THE FACT AND IT SCARED ME.
HE NEEDS TO BE STOPPED AND HE NEEDS TO STOP DOING THIS TO PEOPLE." "WE REFINANCED THE HOUSE IN ORDER TO PAY FOR THIS AND IT'S ALL GONE
ERIC ROSS WE OFFERED HOMEADVISOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ON CAMERA ABOUT ITS BACKGROUND CHECK PROCESS AND WHY MISTER HUBER WAS ONE OF ITS TRUSTED
CONTRACTORS.
INSTEAD--THE COMPANY SENT US A STATEMENT....IT READS QUOTE "AS SOON AS WE BECAME AWARE OF
POTENTIAL CONCERNS FOR THIS PRO, HE WAS TERMINATED FROM OUR NETWORK, AFTER LESS THAN TWO WEEKS OF PARTICIPATION.
OUR CUSTOMERS ARE ALWAYS A PRIORITY AND FOLLOWING THIS EVENT, WE HAVE ENHANCED OUR SCREENING PROCESS TO HELP PREVENT A SIMILAR SITUATION FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE."
AS FOR MISTER HUBER---HE WOULDN'T SEND ME AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT OR AGREE TO GO ON CAMERA---BUT IN A FACEBOOK MESSAGE HE TOLD ME HAS HUNDREDS OF SATISFIED CUSTOMERS...BUT HE
COULDN'T PROVIDE ME WITH THE NAME OF A SINGLE HAPPY CUSTOMER WHEN WE ASKED HIM FOR IT.
ERIC ROSS NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES.