HEARD BEFORE.
DON'T GIVE PEOPLE FULL
PAYMENT FOR WORK THEY'RE DOING
FOR
YOU... UP FRONT.
BUT ...
THERE ARE ALSO STILL A LOT OF
TRUSTING PEOPLE OUT THERE ...
AND THOSE LOOKING TO PREY ON
THEM.
WE FOUND SOME WHO SAY THEY
WERE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY A
LOCAL CONTRACTOR.
NEWS 5 INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER MARK BOYLE IS HERE ...
MARK ...
THIS COULD BE THE SECOND BIGGEST
COMPLAINT TO THE BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU IN 2017 IN EL PASO
COUNTY...
SBAR
90-THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH
...
THAT THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
KNOWS ABOUT RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT INVOLVES FIVE
CUSTOMERS WHO'VE CONTACTED THE
B- B-B AND ONE MORE WHO HAS
CALLED US DIRECTLY.
ALL OF THEM SEEKING REPAIR
FROM PRO TEAM ROOFING AND
RESTORATION AFTER OUR LAST BIG
HAIL STORM.
TONIGHT ...
THESE CUSTOMERS HAVE A BIG
WARNING FOR YOU ...
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST COMMON
WARNINGS WE HEAR.
DON'T GIVE UP FULL PAYMENT
FOR WORK BEING DONE ...
BEFORE THE WORK IS EVER STARTED.
BRIAN HELM- CLAIMS CONTRACTOR
SCAMMED HIM
00:49- "HE TOLD ME 'TRUST ME,
I'M A CHRISTIAN, TRUST ME, I'LL
GET ON THE WORK RIGHT AWAY, BUT
I DO NEED PAYMENT IN FULL,"
00:55
BUT BRIAN HELM'S STORY ...
MATCHES THAT OF FIVE OTHERS
REPORTED TO THE BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU ...
AND ONE MORE WHO CONTACTED NEWS
FIVE INVESTIGATES.
ACCORDING TO THE B-B-B ...
THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS ADDING UP
TO NEARLY 90-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN
THEFT ...
THREE FAMILIES LOSING A REPORTED
20-THOUSAND DOLLARS OR MORE.
JONATHAN LIEBERT- CEO/EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, BBB OF SOUTHERN
COLORADO
49:20- "THOSE AMOUNTS ARE
SOMETHING THAT YOU JUST DON'T
SEE VERY OFTEN IN THAT REGARD
AND IN THAT TYPE OF TIME FRAME
AS WELL, SO IT HAPPENED FAIRLY
QUICKLY, THOSE AMOUNTS ARE
PRETTY LARGE AND SO THAT AGAIN
IS WHAT LED TO THE QUICK
RESPONSE FROM US." AND
THAT'S NO TALL.
HELM SAYS ...
ROBERT PARLETT IS ALSO
MIS-HANDLING INSURANCE MONEY.
BRIAN HELM- CLAIMS CONTRACTOR
SCAMMED HIM
00:38- "IT SHOWS ON THE CONTRACT
I DID NOT PAY A DEDUCTIBLE, HE
ADDED IT INTO THE TOTAL COST OF
REPAIRS." 00:40 THIS IS THE
CONTRACT BETWEEN PRO-TEAM AND
HELM.
BRIAN HELM- CLAIMS CONTRACTOR
SCAMMED HIM 00:27- WHEN YOU
DON'T TAKE THE DEDUCTIBLE, THAT
I'M SUPPOSED TO PAY, THAT'S
INSURANCE FRAUD." 00:30 YOU
CAN SEE THE ZERO BALANCE OWED IN
THE BOTTOM LINE.
A LINE THAT WE'RE TOLD BY
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF
REGLATORY AFFAIRS INSURANCE
DIVISION SHOULD READ
ONE-THOUSAND DOLLARS.
BRIAN HELM- CLAIMS CONTRACTOR
SCAMMED HIM 00:10- "INITIALLY MY
INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE IS 1000
DOLLARS, I MENTIONED IT TO BOB,
HE SAID 'DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT,
YOU DON'T OWE A
THOUSAND DOLLARS,' TO ME THAT'S
INSURANCE FRAUD, I INSISTED THAT
I PAID IT, BOB SAID 'NO DON'T
WORRY ABOUT IT, I'LL TAKE CARE
OF IT' 00:24
WE SPOKE WITH DORA ...
WHO LOOKED AT THIS CONTRACT AND
TOLD US IT CLEARLY LOOKS LIKE
INSURANCE FRAUD.
ACCORDING TO SENATE BILL 38
...
IT'S AGAINST THE LAW FOR A
CONTRACTOR TO WAIVE THE
INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE.
A D-O-R-A SPOKESPERSON
SUGGESTED VICTIMS CONTACT THE
STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO
PROSECUTES THESE TYPES OF
CRIMES.
AND IT WASN'T JUST HELM
THAT HAD QUESTIONABLE INSURANCE
DEDUCTIBLE PRACTICES WRITTEN
INTO THE CONTRACT.
LOOK AT THE CONTRACT
BETWEEN PRO TEAM AND ALICE HILL.
SHE WAS GIVEN A DEAL TO PAY
THE DEDUCTIBLE OVER A 10-MONTH
PERIOD AT 100-DOLLARS A MONTH.
SHE SAYS HER WORK WAS CLOSE
TO BE FINISHED BY PRO TEAM ...
BUT NEVER COMPLETED.
ALICE HILL- SAYS SHE WAS SCAMMED
BY CONTRACTOR
17:35- I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET
SCREENS REPLACED, STUCCO DONE,
36 SHINGLES ON THE TOP OF THE
ROOF," 17:42
AND SHE SAYS THE COMPANY
PRO TEAM SUB-CONTRACTED OUT
FOR THE STUCCO ON THE SIDE OF
THE HOUSE ...
MESSED THAT UP TOO ...
AND WITH THE STUCCO CRACKING ...
THEY'RE REFUSING TO FIX IT.
ALICE HILL- CALIMS CONTRACTOR
SCAMMED HER 29:57- "HERE YOU GO,
AND, AND THEY JUST GO HIGHER AND
HIGHER WHEREVER
YOU FIND ONE AT
AND THEY'RE ALL OVER THE HOUSE?
YES." 30:02
AND EVERY VICTIM WE SPOKE
WITH HAS THE SAME STORY.
BRIAN HELM- CLAIMS CONTRACTOR
SCAMMED HIM
01:30- HE WON'T RETURN MY CALLS,
HE WON'T RETURN MY TEXTS," 01:32
FOR A WEEK, WE TRIED TO GET
IN TOUCH WITH PRO TEAM ROOFING
AND OWNER ROBERT PARLETT.
WE CALLED THE BUSINESS
NUMBER LISTED.
NATS OF MARK CALLING
ANDWENT TO THE PRO TEAM
OFFICE IN EAST COLORADO SPRINGS.
NATS OF DOOR RATTLING AND KNOCK
NOBODY WAS THERE ...
AND NO
RETURNED PHONE FROM THE BUSINESS
CARD I LEFT BEHIND.
THE B-B-B- SAYS AS A RESULT
OF THE COMPLAINTS ...
PRO TEAM'S RATING WAS QUICKLY
DROPPED FROM AN "A" TO AN "F"
47:05
AND WHAT DOES AN F RATING SAY?
DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THEM?
"ABSOLUTELY." 47:07
AND AT LEAST SIX PRO TEAM
CUSTOMERS THAT WE KNOW OF ...
CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT TO GET
THEIR MONEY BACK...
AND HOMES REPAIRED.
NOW WE ASKED ...
WITH SEVERAL OTHER CASES ON THE
BOOKS AGAINST
PRO-TEAM DATING BACK TO 2014...
HOW DID THEY HAVE AN "A" RATING
WITH THE B-B-B UNTIL RECENTLY?
THE B-B-B SAYS THEY ARE
RELIANT ON YOU CALLING IN WITH
COMPLAINTS ...
TO INVESTIGATE.
WE'RE TOLD THEY HAVE OVER
40- THOUSAND BUSINESSES THEY ARE
TRYING TO KEEP TABS ON ...
AND THAT'S WHY THEY NEED YOUR
HELP.