Promised one thing and you get another. A woman in Franklin County says that's exactly what happened to her when a contractor showed up at her door.
"Yes I'm angry, I'm upset. I feel dumb. They tell you that they have asphalt left over from another job and that they're close by and that's why they're offering you the discount," says Patsy Murphy.
But instead of getting a discount, Murphy says she got duped. Last August, a man showed up at her door, offering to repave her driveway for five thousand dollars.
"I asked about a contract and a warranty and everything," say Murphy.
Not even 12 months later, what she got is grass growing through the asphalt, the sides crumbling. And, not even close to the two inch thickness (cap) she was promised.
Investigator Gary Shively says Lidge Boswell is the mastermind behind the scam.
"Money is the ultimate motivator. They work in one area for a while and move onto another area and they just keep moving, traveling," says Shively.
Boswell does have a legitimate contractors license. But this week Franklin County finally got enough to charge him for going door-to door without a permit and taking money under false pretenses. A misdemeanor and a felony. Both are offenses that could send someone to jail.
"The question is can you find him when you have a problem and is he doing the quality work that you want," says Julie Wheeler with the Better Business Bureau.
The Better Business Bureau also started looking into Boswell after getting about a dozen phone calls from Roanoke, Salem and Franklin County. Finding him however hasn't been easy. He's constantly changing his business name. RCS, Skyline Paving, and Katidid Paving are just a few of the names used.
Businesses with these same names were also shut down in North Carolina where Boswell lives. In a report, North Carolina's Attorney General says Boswell targeted senior citizens and usually started the work before a customer signed a contract.
All of that sounds very familiar.
"I said I would give it some consideration and I went on back in the house and I heard a noise out in my driveway and they had moved their whole crew down here," says Murphy.
All she wants is her money back, but she's not counting on it.
"I never thought I would be in a scam, I thought I was smarter than that," says Murphy.
The Better Business Bureau encourages people to check with them for any complaints when they are solicited for work. There you can also find out if the person asking for work is licensed and registered to go door-to-door. The BBB also advises people to check if their contractor has an out-of-state license plate on their vehicle? And finally, look at their business card. Does it have a physical address for the business or only a phone number?
