Do you feel like your contractor has taken advantage of you  and  that no amount of reasoning seems to remedy the situation?There are resources at your disposal that you  can use  if there seems to be no amicable recourse and you wish to improve your situation and prevent others from becoming victims

File a complaint with your County’s Consumer Affairs-this is the number one thing to do ASAP or these guys will walk free

Counties have a whole procedure for contractors who scam, and are dishonest.  The benefit of this is, that if the investigation they county does finds the contractor guilty. they will revoke license and make note in the system. That’s a smack in the face for the contractor. This is the number one way to sock it to them where it hurts

Nassau-https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3340

Suffolk-
www.­suffolkcountyny.­gov/­Departments/­ConsumerAffairs/­ConsumerProtecti­on.­aspx

Hit the web

The easiest thing to do is to visit contractor related websites and write reviews Angies list, Yelp, Google, Houz. Be aware that you can be held liable for defamatory statements. You are free to write the truth, but you are not free to call people names and vent your frustrations in the form of not factual opinions. Facts and the story and that’s it.

https://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/capstone-remodeling-div-o

https://www.yelp.com/biz/capstone-remodeling-smithtown

http://www.houzz.com/browseReviews/capstoneremodelinge9a5586/capstone-remodeling

https://porch.com/smithtown-ny/general-contractors/capstone-realty-holdings-inc–60833030/pp

http://www.gosmith.com/pro/916641

Notify the Attorney General at the  Consumer Frauds Bureau Online Complaint Form

This one probably packs the most punch out all items listed.  Link is here https://forms.ag.ny.gov/CIS/consumer-complaints.jsp

TJ Hatter Suffolk County Director of Intergovernmental Affairs,Office of Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman,  Office Phone: 631-231-2194

 

 

Your assemblyman or woman, senator and congressman

Your local reps are easy to find online, send them an email describing your situation. After writing those review above you have fine tuned your dates events, facts. include them all. In this you can be a little more emotional as it  not a public document.

Mine state one was Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre Phone:(631) 957-2087

My local one was DuWayne Gregory Presiding Officer and 15th District Legislator 631-854-1111.

Senator Venditto Phone:(516) 882-0630

Congressman Peter King-(202) 225-7896 

Better Business Bureau

Another great way to get some pressure on contractor to do the right thing or at the very least, to bring your situation to the public. Upon filing a complaint they will contact the Contractor and attempt to resolve and they make the hold proceeding a matter of record that stays online for years. You can fill the whole thing out online too!https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complaints/file-a-complaint/get-started

Facebook and Twitter

As much as I deplore these sites for the public’s use of it to inform me what they ate for breakfast or when they farted,  its carries a lot of weight especially if you are one of those who just like to add friend for the hell of it. add  a story with company name and people involved and it will get around a lot faster than you might.

NYRISING Complaint hotline- 844-330-0008  The Program has established a toll-free number at 844.330.0008 to report potential fraud, misconduct, or wrongdoing.

SO get this, they have thousands of documents several websites plus an army of incompetent case workers on this program, when you tell them you are having a problem they go all MC Hammer , Cant touch this and give you a number.

 

Seriously a freaking phone number. Well I called it and had to speak a statement so person who evidently did not learn to type nor has any clue what NYRISING is, can type a statement of your events. That per son work for the Governor’s office BTW. I have yet to know what outcome is, but its what we are supposed to do,   I would recommend doing it

County District Attorney’s Office

If your contractor is doing some seriously shady stuff, to the point of Breaking law, committing fraud, or any criminal act, this would be the people to call or email. you can find this info under same link as the consumer affairs for each county

The Law Firm

I wrote them in last and they are indeed  the most expensive option of the above. Probably should be the first person you contact when you get that funny feeling. The retainer is going to 2-5k but in hindsight, had i gotten them involved in the contractual process I would not have been going through all of this now. At the first sign of trouble I would go to attorney to get counsel> Not to litigate but understand your rights. Even if it takes one hour and 400 dollars its better than 6 month, no house and 100k lost.