Patrick Fortney, Owner, Four Seasons Chimney Services Cashed my Check and Disappeared Without Completing Service Paid For Elmhurst Illinois

 PATRICK FORTNEY ("OWNER") STOLE $253.00 DOLLARS FROM ME AND NOW I HAVE TO SUE TO GET MY MONEY BACK. HE ATTEMPTED TO CASH ANOTHER PERSON'S CHECK AND DISAPPEARED. THIS OTHER POOR CONSUMER REACHED OUT TO ME DUE TO MY POOR REVIEW OF HIS BUSINESS ON YELP. I WOULD NOT DOUBT THERE ARE OTHERS WHO HAVE A SIMILAR STORY. STAY AWAY!!!! Patrick Fortney (business owner of Four Seasons Chimney Services) seemed genuine and very polite while performing chimney sweeping on 6/27/2014. He indicated one of my fireplaces did not have a chimney cap and offered to install one the same day or early the following morning for an additional $235.00. After investigating prices for chimney caps, this was on the very high end although i had already paid in full to have Patrick install. I was ok to go ahead with the job anyhow. He never called me to schedule the installation that evening or the next day and never showed up as promised. When I eventually called him on the day he promised to perform the job (6/28/2014), he sounded irritated to have to do the job and said he also thought the chimney cap should actually be $340 instead of $235 which is absolutely incredibly overpriced. When I asked him to justify the price increase he said it was due to the size of chimney opening which was known the previous day. He said he would be at my house before 3:30 pm and would try to work with me on the price. No call, no show, no response to any texts. He actually cashed my check in the amount of $373.00 on 6/27/2014 prior to the follow-up appointment date (6/28/2014) and it unfortunately cleared for a job he never did despite my attempts to stop payment and afterward he had the audacity to ask for additional money since he assumed I did not realize my check had already been cashed in an attempt to further rob me. He still has not attempted to pay me back the money and would not respond to calls or texts until I began leaving him poor reviews on several consumer websites . I have already paid him (as seen in the itemized invoice) $138.00 for the chimney cleaning (which he fulfilled) and $235.00 for the chimney cap which he (admittedly) has made no attempt to install. The communications from him were that he was going to leave a money order in my mailbox (which he promised to do on three separate occasions and NEVER did even though I have been generous enough to even grant an extension of any sort. He claimed twice he did not have the money to pay me? OK, how about the money you already cashed of mine that I am trying to get back from you? Even if that is true, it’s pretty scary to think that this man “owns” this business and has ZERO CAPITAL (he admitted this to me via text). This is the final day I allowed him to pay (7/10/14) and no check. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. I am now in the process of suing him. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR – DO NOT PUT YOURSELF THROUGH THE FRUSTRATION OF WORKING WITH THIS GUY!!!! THIS ISSUE WAS NEVER RESOLVED. HE PROMISED TO PAY ME MY MONEY BACK ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND NEVER SHOWED UP. HE CAME UP WITH EXCUSE AFTER EXCUSE EVERY DAY ABOUT NOT HAVING MY MONEY WHICH IS SCARY ANYWAY. I AM NOW FILING A LAWSUIT. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR- HIRE A MORE REPUTABLE COMPANY AND SAVE YOURSELF THE FRUSTRATION. HE WILL CLAIM THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED - DO NOT BE FOOLED - IT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THAT.