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Report: #1163733

Complaint Review: John Chmielinski - Morrisville Pennsylvania

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  • Reported By: DJR — Yardley Pennsylvania
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  • John Chmielinski 78 North Penn Avenue Morrisville, Pennsylvania USA

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We called this company, owned by John Chmielinski, to fix a leak in our home originating at the chimney. The first estimate was fine, but over the next two weeks, the owner returned 3 times to collect more money, claiming that the repair was "more extensive" than he realized. In total, he charged more than four times the original estimate and insisted on having the entire payment up front to purchase materials. (By this time we were obviously suspicious, but we had a hole in our roof and felt we were at his mercy.) He claimed the chimney needed new parts; when the parts "arrived," he called to tell us, but never installed them. He regularly missed appointments and never gave us finalized paperwork, despite repeated and numerous requests--then demands--to produce them.

The first estimate for the length of the project (1 week) was also off by miles--that was in early May 2014. (We finally fired him in late June, with an incomplete chimney.) At one point, the tarp-covered frame he left in place on the roof--before disappearing for weeks--failed during a heavy rainstorm. The leak inside the house grew far worse than the original, and ultimately cost an additional $1,600 (homeowners insurance claim) to repair. During the storm, rain poured into the fireplace on the first floor. We called him almost daily after that leak, and he never returned even to adjust the tarp to prevent more leaking, let alone complete the job.

On the rare occasion when he returned our calls, we nearly always got a "dog ate my homework" excuse for why he couldn't come to finish his job. One day, he didn't even bother to give an excuse and said that he'd "forgotten" our appointment that he made the day before. Another time he insisted that he'd said Thursday rather than Wednesday, even though we had a voicemail message from him saying Wednesday. (He didn't show up either day.)

In the meantime, we had only a leaking tarp around a chimney frame on the roof. His ladders, equipment, and construction trash were piled on our patio for weeks. In late June 2014 we finally fired him, told him to come get his equipment and haul away the trash, and warned him never to contact us again. We received two calls that day: one from him begging us to please give him another chance (still no paperwork, still trash on the lawn, still no completed job), and the second call, bizarrely, from his wife, also begging us to give him another chance.

I should note that he did not make these pleas because he wanted to make things right; he made them after we informed him that we were reporting him to the Better Business Bureau, calling a lawyer, and filing a legal complaint against him with the state attorney general and our county consumer protection bureau. (The BBB has a report but did nothing because he refused to answer their calls; the other actions are pending.)

He never returned for his equipment, nor did he ever return to clean and remove his trash. We have since found records of four legal findings against him in our county magisterial court alone. We also discovered that this is his third business name; he seems to simply take himself out of business once someone files a legal complaint, and then starts up a new one when the coast seems clear.

Admittedly, we did not do our due diligence in hiring this guy. At the very least, we never 1) should have paid up front and 2) should have authorized the repairs without official paperwork outlining the job. Lesson learned and re-learned. But this guy is truly a predator. There are three of us living here; the homeowner is 65 and her father is 95, and those were the people with whom he dealt. He refused, almost childishly, to have any dealing with the one person who was highly suspicious of his practices. He bilked these two out of thousands of dollars for a job he never completed and for materials he kept for himself. He needs to be out of the roofing business permanently.

 

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 07/21/2014 11:18 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/john-chmielinski/morrisville-pennsylvania-19067/john-chmielinski-aka-johns-handyman-service-aka-all-weather-construction-aka-johns-cjc-1163733. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
3Author
4Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#7 Author of original report

Where's the money?

AUTHOR: Donna - (United States)

POSTED: Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Here we are, more than 5 years later, and we have seen almost none of the nearly $10,000 we were scammed out of--money that this criminal was supposed to have paid back. My father, one of the victims, passed away two years ago, never having been repaid a cent. I have since received approximately $50--which is less than 1% of what we were due.

Because we requested updates from the Pennsylvania Office of Victim Advocate, I've been kept abreast of this scammer's whereabouts. After his release from prison, he was permitted to move to the state of Washington. He will be on probation there until 9/30/2025. This is small comfort. I have no doubt he will do the same to Washington residents as he did to Bucks County PA residents.

If you wish to contact the PA Office of Victim Advocate, the address is www.ova.pa.gov, email ra-ovainfo AT pa.gov. According to the most recent report I've received, the "offender" reports for "special probation" to 2707 I Street NE, Suite A, Auburn WA 98002, phone 253-333-5926.

The detective who originally contacted us about this criminal on May 22, 2015, was Eric Landamia of the Bucks County District Attorney's Office in Doylestown.

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#6 Consumer Comment

John Chmielinski

AUTHOR: Angela - (USA)

POSTED: Thursday, November 19, 2015

I know I will never seen a penny of what the civil court awarded me against this scumbag.  I am happy he is locked up, again.  I wish it was for a longer amount of time. 

I have no doubt he will come out and do it all over again.  He is a scam artist and that is all he knows.

 

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#5 Author of original report

Let's hope jail time does the trick

AUTHOR: - ()

POSTED: Thursday, October 15, 2015

I am also one of the victims mentioned in the Bucks County Courier Times article, and we are very pleased that he has been sentenced to prison. Whether we ever see restitution is another issue, but at least he is serving time for his abominable scamming. I hope the other less-than-reputable members of his family also get their due. They are a nest of thieves.

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#4 Consumer Comment

John is in jail !!!

AUTHOR: Richard - (USA)

POSTED: Thursday, October 01, 2015

I am pleased to inform everyone that John Chmielinski was sentenced yesterday in court to 2 to 4 years in state prison and 10 years of probation. He also has to pay restitution to the four victims in the article when he gets out, or he goes straight back to prison . I am one of the victims in this article, but there were many, many others. If any other victims see  this, please contact the Bucks County DA. He can still be prosecuted for other crimes while he's in prison.

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#3 Consumer Comment

John Chmielinski

AUTHOR: Angela - (USA)

POSTED: Friday, August 21, 2015

 I was scammed by John a few years back when I hired him to redo my driveway.  It was a 4 day job that went on for weeks.  It was a nightmare.  I took him to Civil Court, of course he didn't show up, and won the case.  Of course I never received a penny and probably won't ever.  He ripped off a number of people beside myself. 

He served time in jail.  Apparently, he continues to scam people.  I found out afterwards that John was heavy into drugs.  I don't understand why he has not been locked up for good.  He obviously has no intention of changing.  He used to scam people in NJ, I guess he is in another state now. 

If I can be of any help to get this guy locked up for good, please let me know.

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#2 Author of original report

Thank you for posting this

AUTHOR: - ()

POSTED: Wednesday, June 24, 2015

I am one of the cases mentioned in this article, so I've already been contacted, but I agree that anyone else who's had dealings with these people get in touch with the Bucks County DA's office.

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#1 Consumer Comment

Please contact Bucks County DA office

AUTHOR: DRGG - (USA)

POSTED: Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Please contact the Bucks County DA office. I know one of the victims in this story. We feel that there are many more victims . The only way we can stop this man is to show this that this is a pattern.

 

http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/communities/bucks-da-contractor-with-companies-ripped-off-homeowners-for-k/article_f107d0a5-b7ad-5d17-bcf0-3198704b922b.htmlThe Bucks "

"County District Attorney's Office is concerned that John Chmielinski, 46, of Trenton, may still be working as a contractor under one of 10 business names.

He is already facing trial in connection with another home improvement related fraud case in Falls where he allegedly was paid an $1,800 deposit toward repairing a roof last September, but never did any work, according to court documents. 

An arrest warrant was issued for him in the new case involving three homeowners earlier this month, charging him with 10 felonies, including receiving payment for services and failing to perform them and deceitful business practices."

 

 

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