Unfinished, Shoddy Home Improvement Work Leads To Lawsuit

Attorney General Spitzer today announced a lawsuit against a Broome County home improvement contractor for making false promises to consumers.

Robert Jester, the owner of Accredit Home Improvement of Vestal, was served with a lawsuit alleging deceptive business practices, fraud, and various violations of consumer protection laws, including the Home Improvement Contracts Law.

"My office will continue to aggressively pursue unscrupulous home improvement contractors who defraud consumers with false promises and shoddy work," Spitzer said.

According to legal papers, Jester made fraudulent representations and convinced consumers to make large up-front payments for home improvement projects and then seldom completed the job. For those projects that were commenced, the work was shoddy, forcing consumers to hire other companies to make repairs.

Spitzer’s investigation also revealed that Accredit fails to remedy problems, repeatedly fails to refund money for work left incomplete and materials not furnished, and fails to pay Small Claims Court judgments obtained by consumers. In the past two years, Spitzer’s office has received complaints by six consumers who are seeking at least $27,000 in refunds.

The investigation also revealed that Accredit fails to comply with state laws requiring that consumer deposits be protected in escrow accounts and that contracts provide each consumer with a three-day right to cancel.

Spitzer is seeking a court order barring Accredit and its owner, Jester, from both the home improvement industry and the door-to-door sales industry unless and until he posts a $200,000 performance bond. The lawsuit also seeks an order requiring restitution for injured consumers and imposing civil penalties for the violations of law.

Since 1999, Spitzer’s office has commenced enforcement actions against over 70 operators of nearly 100 home improvement companies throughout the state, including nine in the Southern Tier.

Individuals with complaints about Accredit are directed to call the Attorney General’s consumer help line at (800) 771-7755.

For tips on hiring a home improvement contractor, consumers are encouraged to go to the Attorney General’s web site at www.ag.ny.gov.

This case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Michael Danaher of the Binghamton Regional Office.