COMPLAINT: Michael Meeker, Columbus

"Thomas Sims Remodeling repaired a termite-damaged wall in my home. The quality of work was adequate, but [Sims] never finished the job.

While he was doing the work, I asked for a quote on installing slate tile. The quote was reasonable, so I agreed to have him do the work. He asked for a 50-percent cash deposit.

I thought this seemed a bit shady, so I gave him a check. Mr. Sims never finished the original job or started the tile work, though he had a series of excuses.

He had agreed to begin work within two days but never showed up or called. I called him, and he explained he had car problems and wouldn't be able to come until his car was repaired.

He asked for a $150 advance to buy a radiator. I naively agreed with the assurance he would begin work that day. He carried two sheets of oriented strand board into the house, then left.

He assured me he'd begin 'tomorrow,' only to never show. When I asked for a refund, he said multiple times that he'd have it by the end of the week, again never delivering."

DESIRED RESOLUTION: "I'd like Mr. Sims to immediately refund the entire deposit and advance of $500."

STATUS: Penalty box

COMPLAINT: Leslie Malek, Upper Arlington
"I contracted with Wingler & Sons Construction to put aluminum window frames on my house and garage. The frames were installed cockeyed, and the employees used a brown caulk on white stucco.

When they reinstalled them, they further smeared the caulk, which made the stucco look unsightly and stained.

This was supposed to be a four-day job, but a month later, it was still unfinished. I told Wingler to finish their list of things to do and close the account.

I had a stucco company come out, and they recommended I paint over it. I'd have to paint the entire home, and it would cost $6,000. I'd purchased a stucco house in hopes of never having to paint it."

DESIRED RESOLUTION: "I've paid Wingler about $3,000. I want them to send a receipt stating that my account has a zero balance, that I owe them nothing and that the account is closed in good standing."

RESPONSE: Ron Wingler, president, Wingler & Sons Construction
"When we removed the original window caps, which we hadn't installed, there was original old caulk showing. We made our caps larger to cover the old lines.

We tried to clean off the old caulk even though we didn't put it there. The member made a statement to our installer not to worry about it because she was going to have the house painted.

She's trying to get out of paying us for work we completed. We've only received $1,709, and not the $3,000 the member claims she paid us. Our raw costs paid out to date for the work we've completed totals $3,689."

STATUS: Stalemate

COMPLAINT: Michael and Arlene Armstrong, Bexley
"This Old Mac came to service our Mac computer. When we checked our bank statement, we realized they'd never cashed our check. We later discovered we had paid them twice, and when we contacted them about the mix-up, they said they'd pay us back.

We never received payment. After numerous attempts to contact them, we proposed a deal: They would pay us $100 in two months' time and then work off the rest. They said this was a great plan, but we're still without payment after the first deadline."

DESIRED RESOLUTION: "They sent the first $50 payment, but we haven't received the second. We'd like the second payment."

STATUS: Penalty box

Editor's Note:In February, we published a resolved case from a member who said The Basement Doctor/J & D Basement Systems wouldn't return his calls about a phone wire he believed they'd accidentally cut when waterproofing his basement. We neglected to mention the company wasn't receiving his messages because the member was calling a nonworking extension. As soon as The Basement Doctor was aware of the issue, they contacted the member and resolved the problem to his satisfaction. They also gave him a $25 Bob Evans gift card. We apologize for the oversight.