COMPLAINT: Catherine Wachs, Larchmont, N.Y.

"I hired Hard Top Paving & Masonry in Yonkers to fix some bricks in my driveway and do pointing around the house for $2,300. I used this contractor against my gut instincts.

"He promised a lot of work, but only did some of it - badly. He said he would come back to finish, and asked for full payment. I paid him. Why was I so stupid? I never operate this way; just a lapse in judgment.

"I called his answering service and they told me they answer calls for someone else. He told me his name is Gavin. So I don't even know his real name. Beware of this guy!"

DESIRED RESOLUTION: "I would like a $1,000 refund to cover the cost of redoing the work."

STATUS: Penalty Box