Leaky gutters and roof repairs are the specialty for Four Seasons Construction when you look online.
“I had some damage to my duplex in Verona, and it was old box gutters, and I was having a heck of a time finding someone to work on wooden box gutters,” said Rita Sumney.
The Four Seasons website connected Sumney to the company and owner Adam Burns. After receiving a quote, she put down $2,000 and signed a contract — that’s when the work began.
“He took off a part of the roof that didn’t need taken off and basically left it. I had no box gutters, a piece of wood hanging somewhere. I’m not sure what that was supposed to fix,” Sumney said.
But Sumney told Channel 11 Burns never came back. For two months, she contacted him hundreds of times — trying to get the work done or her money back. With no resolution, she filed charges with the Verona Police Department and quickly found out she was not alone.
“It was a box gutter issue, and there wasn’t any indication this guy didn’t know what he was doing. He had a good website,” said Patrick Brazell.
For Brazell, Burns never even showed up to his Wilkinsburg property to do the work after the contract was signed and the deposit in hand.
“It’s very frustrating to know it’s that easy to get defrauded,” Brazell said.
After taking a deeper look, Channel 11 found three more victims who filed complaints that led to criminal charges, ranging from home improvement fraud to theft by deception. A Fineview man is out $2,700, a Sewickley couple $7,500 and a Beaver County man $15,000.
Click here for more information on home improvement fraud from the Attorney General’s Office.
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