‘Very depressing’: Homeowner says contractor barely did any work, was in jail part of the time

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Hail did a number on Rock Hill homes in the spring, including Tia Monroe’s.

She says two neighbors recommended a certain contractor, Louis Barber, so she hired him to fix the damage and to also build a screened-in porch.

She says he took a piece of the siding to match the color, but that was it. That also left the wood exposed.

As for the porch, he started it, but Monroe says he stopped suddenly and gave her “a string of excuses.”

Barber gave her estimates for each project. One would take 5-7 days and the other 7-10 days, both based on weather. That was almost 70 days ago.

“I just feel horrible you know. It’s very depressing,” she said. “First of all, I’m out of money. Second of all, it feels like your life is in shambles.”

Barber spent three of those days behind bars when he was arrested in Mecklenburg County. One of the charges was failure to do work after being paid. Monroe says that must have been for another job, not hers.

Barber told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke he’s “working to resolve this matter as soon as possible” and that he plans to refund Monroe. A week later, she told Action 9 he had not given her any money back.

Anytime you hire a contractor:

- Research the owner’s name not just the name of the business, in case he/she changed business names.

- Pay as little as you can upfront. Usually 1/3 tops.

- If you can, use a credit card. You should have better luck disputing charges that way.

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