David Caveda Home repair rip-off *Consumer Suggestion

On 6-29-01 a contract was signed for David Caveda of Cardinal Builders of Petal, Ms.(268-1121) to replace 17 windows in my home, put insulation in the attic, weather strip my doors and put a wrap on my hotwater heater. He required a $1325.00, cash downpayment..to be used to purchase the windows. I paid the downpayment on July2,2001.

He promised that the work would be finished by July 31, 2001, and he promised and assured me that he would procure a loan complete with life insurance for the remaining balance of $3000.00.We agreed that if he could not obtain the loan with insurance that I would not continue with the project.

Almost 3 weeks later Mr. Caveda contacted me and said that he could not get the insurance with the loan. He then contacted my daughter and asked if she had my power of attorney, and if she would sign for the loan...she refused. Since then we have repeatedly tried to contact Mr. Caveda by phone and have only succeeded twice.

Both times he promised to start the job within 4 days, but has not. I asked him to return my money and he said that he would have to take out 20% for himself and a restocking fee for the windows, so we told him we would call us even if he would send his carpenter and install the 4 windows in my living room, or deliver 4 windows to my house and return $350.00 cash to me, or return $1200.00 cash to me. He has done none of those things.

It has now been over 4 months since the contract was signed. I went to my bank and if he had borrowed this money he would have already had to pay $50.00 interest, and I contacted the Lowes store and received a price quote for the 17 windows and they quoted me a price of $1500.00, for the same windows he was charging me over $2600.00 for.

I have tried to contact him at the address which he gave me for the business and have found that he vacated the office and did not leave a forwarding address.