Smiths Quality Handcrafted Furniture Rustic Country Ripped off over a dozen people for over $6,000 Davenport iowa

This "business" took $450 deposit when we went under contract together for him to build me a dresser. I was to pay $320 for a total of $770 upon completion of the project in 10 weeks. He went out of his way to make me feel comfortable with transaction, even offering to meet me at bank to have invoice notorized which I did. In nearing the previously agreed upon completion date, he had never reached out to me. I finally asked for an update and was told he was 4 weeks behind due to a back injury. All during this time, he never updated me; I always had to initiate communication. I told him I was going out of town for a bit for the army and he said he would contact me "when there is something to be shown". Mind you at this point it is over a month past our original agreed upon date. He never did. I left him alone, waiting, for about 6 weeks. When I texted him and emailed him, I got no response. I finally had to reach out on his facebook page and he immediately reached out to me and said I had abandoned my project and he sold it to someone else for $200. He stated he reached out many times to me to tell me it was done and it wasn't his job to keep storing it so he sold it for $200. He was not able to prove that he had reached out to me. He had my phone number, email address, physical address, and facebook messenger, non of which I ever recieved anything saying my dresser was complete. I can't understand why he would sell a $770 dresser for $200, especially when I was able and willing to hold up my end of the deal and pay the $320 whenever he was done with the job. He said he would rebuild it. 8 weeks later, still nothing. No photos, nothing. I asked for a refund. First I'd have it in 7 days, then 3 weeks, then 60 days and the guy still hasn't paid me. I have found over a dozen people with similar stories and documentation of over $6,000 he has taken from people in my area. This is straight forward fraud. Stay away.