COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus area home-remodeling company and its owner are being sued after allegedly walking off with more than $125,000 in consumers’ money without completing construction work.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost made the announcement of the lawsuit Thursday after it was filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. The lawsuit alleges that 614 Custom Homes and its owner Mark Koval failed to deliver services after taking consumers’ deposits, or in some instances, performed poor or incomplete work before abandoning the project.
“A consumer’s largest and most important asset is typically their home – which is why consumers need to be cautious when dealing with contractors like this who demand a lot of money upfront and then do a substandard job,” Yost said. “Ohioans deserve to get what they’ve paid for, and my office can certainly help if a contractor hangs up his tools before the work is done.”
Yost’s office says that Koval’s business violates Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act, Home Solicitation Sales Act and Home Construction Service Suppliers Act.
Complaints against the company were filed by 10 consumers. The complaints filed with the Attorney General’s office report $126,735 in losses based on contracts signed between March 2021 through April 2022.
According to Yost’s office, the lawsuit asks that Koval be ordered to reimburse consumers and pay civil penalties and court costs.
Below are recommendations for consumers to take before signing a contract for home-improvement services:
- Check with the Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau for any complaints against the contractor.
- Make sure your contract includes notice of your right to cancel a door-to-door sale. Contractors generally cannot start working until the three-day “cooling off” period ends.
- Get written estimates from several contractors before making a final decision.
- Check to make sure that the written contract includes any oral promises made by the contractor; start and end dates for the project; and an itemized list of all significant costs, labor and services.
- Be wary if the contract requires a large down payment or requires you to write a check directly to the contractor instead of his or her company.
- Check with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office to confirm that the business is registered properly.