风萧萧_Frank
以文会友
成本$300要价$10万：士嘉堡夫妇修补屋顶搭上毕生积蓄
士嘉堡一对退休老夫妇万万没想到，修补家里的屋顶竟变成一场噩梦，导致他们失去了毕生的积蓄。
两周前，73岁的罗宾（Robin Rushton）正在家门口的院子里干活，一名男子走了过来询问他是否需要给烟囱加一个盖子，报价为800元。
他和妻子朱迪（Judy Poirier）都是退休教师，他们一致同意支付这项服务的费用。朱迪说："我们早就想这么做了。"
这个决定引发了一系列糟心的事，导致他们失去了7万元。
在完成烟囱工程时，一名工人说他发现屋顶上有损坏。最初，只需要更换屋顶瓦片。随后，更有经验的工人——一名屋顶工和一名"检查员"声称发现了更严重的问题，需要进行结构修复，材料和人工费用需合计6.2万元。
朱迪说，在接下来的两天里，这份报价不断上涨，最后超过了10万元。
"强烈的恐吓手段"
朱迪说，这些人通过"强烈的恐吓手段"，让房主相信自家的屋顶需要立即施工，否则就会塌陷。
朱迪说："他们说木头潮湿、腐烂、破损、发霉。屋顶将会坍塌，非常危险。冬天就要来了。"
"我们吓坏了。我们想，'天呐，及时发现真是不幸中的万幸。因为万一屋顶塌下来，后果不堪设想。'"
这对夫妇为烟囱支付了800元，为整修露台支付了1500元，为更换瓦片支付了5000元的押金，所有都是用现金支付。
当承包商说屋顶需要进行额外施工时，他们要求朱迪给承包商开具一张4万元的银行汇票，罗宾也开具了一张自己的3万元银行汇票。
这些银行汇票的收款人是一个他们从未见过的人，而不是屋顶公司或其员工。朱迪说，她认为这个人是供应材料的个体或进行设计工作的建筑公司。
CBC新闻未能找到接收7万元银行汇票的人。
成本300元，要价10万元
朱迪说，他们要求对方提供明细发票和其他书面文件，但遭到拒绝，这最终让他们产生了怀疑，于是他们请来了一位有施工经验的朋友洛德（Dean Lord）对正在进行的工作进行评估。
洛德在木工领域工作了26年，他说他发现屋顶的结构没有任何问题，不需要进行如此大规模的重建，只需要更换一套新的瓦片，费用大约为8,500元。
他指出："隔热层没有水渍，框架上也没有水渍，屋顶的结构是完好的，不会坍塌。"
洛德批评该公司所做的工作是"垃圾"，并说他们提供的报价"太离谱了"。
他说："他们用几张胶合板和几块2x4的木板进行修补，成本大概300元，这不是一项价值10万元的工作。"
根据洛德的评估，这些工作既不必要又不符合标准。这令朱迪和罗宾感到震惊，他们愤怒地将施工人员赶出房子。
这对夫妇急忙赶到各自的银行，要求撤销银行汇票，但为时已晚。
银行工作人员表示他们无能为力，钱已经转走了。
朱迪当场崩溃了，那是他们毕生的积蓄。
她在事后选择曝光是为了提醒其他人，不要落入同样的陷阱。
承包商反咬一口：还没进行整改就被要求离开
Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry公司的经理约翰逊（Derek Johnson）在接受电话采访时承认，房主对公司所做的工作不满意，但他说工人们正试图整改工作时却被要求离开。
约翰逊说："我们多次试图联系（房主），但似乎联系不上他们。我们不是拿了钱就跑的公司。"
约翰逊拒绝回答有关工程成本或公司是否计划退款给这对夫妇的问题，他说负责公司财务决策者目前正在度假中，无法提供答案。
CBC新闻多次联系该公司的所有者，但截至发文前仍未能与其取得联系。与此同时，安省商业登记处搜索"Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry"，没有找到以该名称注册的企业。
工伤保险局（Workplace Safety and Insurance Board）的一位发言人说，企业必须出于保险目的而进行注册，但该机构没有以Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry或公司网站提供的联系信息注册的企业。不过，发言人表示企业有可能使用不同的地址、电话号码或法定名称进行注册。
Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry公司网站上列出的营业地址是一家不同的企业，主要邮政信箱和接收邮件。
警方警告：房屋装修诈骗案激增
多伦多警方警告称，最近家庭装修诈骗案激增。警方在上个月发布的一份新闻稿中称，犯罪嫌疑人通常会挨家挨户招揽生意，分发欺诈或不存在的公司的传单，并提供屋顶、铺路或围栏等服务。
警方表示，这些工程通常要么根本不会完成，要么不达标准或使用劣质产品。
"犯罪嫌疑人通常以老年人和弱势群体为目标，他们通常要求以现金或银行汇票的形式付款。"
多伦多警方证实，朱迪和罗宾已于11月13日向警方投诉，并表示调查仍在进行中。
来源链接：https://twitter.com/jobnews41/status/1726951225802035515
Toronto retirees say life savings lost after door-to-door reno pitch
Two weeks ago, Robin Rushton was doing yard work outside his Scarborough home when he was approached by a man who asked if he wanted his chimney capped.
Rushton and his partner, Judy Poirier, who are both 73-year-old retired teachers, agreed to pay for the service, which can protect a chimney from animals and the elements.
“We had been wanting to do this for a while,” Poirier said. “The guy said $800. So we thought, ‘Great, sure, go ahead.'”
That decision kicked off a series of events that Poirier says led to the couple losing their life savings.
Over a period of days, Porter said three individuals associated with a company called Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry noticed other things on the property that needed to be fixed, starting with their deck, which they agreed to sand and finish for $2,500.
While completing the chimney work, one worker said he identified damage on the roof. Originally, it was just the shingles that needed to be replaced. Then, more senior workers — a roofer and an “inspector” — claimed to notice more extensive problems requiring structural repairs that would cost $62,000 for materials and labour.
Over the next two days, Poirier said that quote rose steadily to beyond $100,000.
‘Heavy scare tactics’
Poirier said the men used “very heavy scare tactics” to convince the homeowners that they needed to do the work immediately or their roof was going to cave in.
“He used the words that there was damp wood, rotting wood, broken wood, mould. The roof was going to collapse. It was dangerous. Winter is coming,” Poirier said.
“We were terrified. We thought, ‘Oh my God, this is a blessing in disguise that this happened, because imagine if the roof had fallen in on us.'”
In total, the teachers said they paid $800 for the chimney, $1,500 to refurbish their deck, and paid a $5,000 deposit for the shingle replacement, all in cash.
When the contractors said additional work on the roof needed to be done, they requested Poirier give the contractor a $40,000 bank draft. Rushton also provided a bank draft of his own for $30,000.
The bank drafts were made out to a person they had never met — not the roofing company or its employees. Poirier said she thought the person was the individual supplying the materials or an architectural firm doing design work.
CBC Toronto was not able to locate the individual who received the $70,000 in bank drafts.
Poirier said their requests for itemized invoices and other paperwork were rebuffed, which eventually made them suspicious enough to call in a friend who has contracting experience that they trusted to evaluate the work being done.
What he found shocked Poirier and Rushton, and caused them to kick the crew off their property.
Dean Lord, who’s worked as a framer for 26 years, said he found there was nothing structurally wrong with the roof that would have required such an extensive rebuild.
The Lowdown: How to choose a contractor
Featured VideoCBC Investigates speaks with Victoria Belbin from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Newfoundland and Labrador about tips on how to pick a professional, and some advice on what to avoid.
Lord said their roof could have used a new set of shingles, which would have cost around $8,500, but the structure did not need to be replaced.
“There was no water damage and no water damage to the insulation. There was no water stains on the framing of the rafters,” Lord said.
“That roof was not falling down. It was structurally fine.”
Lord criticized the work the company was doing as “garbage” and said the quote they provided for the job was “outrageous.”
“They were patching it with a few sheets of plywood at $300 expense and a couple two-by-fours and that’s not a $100,000 job,” Lord said.
Company says it was told to leave before it could rectify work
Derek Johnson, a manager at Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry, admitted in a phone interview that the homeowners weren’t happy with the work the company had done, but said the workers were trying to rectify it when they were told to leave.
“We have been trying to contact [the homeowners] several times and we can’t seem to get hold of them,” Johnson said.
“It’s not like we’re taking the money and run.”
Johnson refused to answer questions about the cost of the work or if the company plans to refund Poirier and Rushton, saying the owner of the company makes financial decisions and is away on vacation.
CBC Toronto reached out to the owner multiple times, but was unable to reach him by the time of publication. A search for Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry in the Ontario Business Registry couldn’t find a business registered to that name.
A spokesperson with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, with whom businesses are required to register for insurance purposes, said it also doesn’t have a business registered to the name Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry or the contact information provided on the company’s website. But the spokesperson said it’s possible the company registered using a different address, phone number or legal name.
The business address listed on the company’s website is a separate business that rents out postal boxes and accepts mail.
Police warn of surge in home renovation scams
The situation is unfolding as police warn of a recent surge in home renovation frauds.
In a news release last month, Toronto police said suspects usually solicit business door-to-door, hand out flyers for fraudulent or non-existent companies, and offer services for roofing, paving or fencing.
Police say the work is usually never completed, is substandard or is done with poor quality products.
“Suspects often target elderly and vulnerable citizens using high pressure tactics to commence work. They usually demand payment in the form of cash or bank draft,” the release said.
Toronto police confirmed Poirier and Rushton filed a formal complaint with them on Nov. 13, adding the investigation is ongoing.
Armed with Lord’s assessment that the work was both unnecessary and substandard, Poirier and Rushton rushed to their respective banks to ask to reverse the bank drafts. But it was too late.
Bank staff said there was nothing they could do. The money was gone.
“I’m an emotional wreck … I can’t tell you how terrible it is,” Poirier said. “We’ve had to cancel our vacation we were going on. I don’t know how, if, we’ll ever be able to build our savings up again.”
Poirier said she is speaking out to warn others.
“I just don’t want people to be caught up in the same situation,” she said. “If somebody tries to tell you there’s anything wrong with your home, stop immediately. Sit back, take a breath and find other people that are in the same business and get other assessments.”
