RACINE, Wis. — A local businesswoman in Racine is being investigated by police for allegedly taking thousands of dollars in payments from customers and not delivering on the goods and services as promised.
NEW INFORMATION: CRIMINAL CHARGES PENDING
The businesswoman's name is Amanda Putzer-Gonzales, who also goes by Amanda Vara. She was operating T & A Heating and Cooling out of Racine.
TMJ4 has learned the Racine Police Department is investigating Amanda and has referred criminal charges related to theft by fraud to the Racine County District Attorney's Office.
CUSTOMERS FEELING THE IMPACT
Throughout TMJ4's investigation, we continued to find more and more customers impacted by Amanda's bad business practices.
Jefrey Beres is one of those customers and is in the process of suing T & A Heating and Cooling in small claims court.
"I found them through her dad, was one of my best friends, and he's since passed away, and I thought I'd just rely on her. Keep it in the family, you know," Beres said.
We met Beres at the Racine County Courthouse last week, as he sat before a judge who has been hearing the case between Beres and T & A.
"I never received any work, I never got my money back," Beres added.
Court documents show that Beres paid T & A nearly $3,000 last May. A judge ordered Amanda to pay Beres back, and she's now being held in contempt after continuously not showing up for court.
"Excuse, after excuse, after excuse," Beres said.
Watch: INVESTIGATION: How to protect yourself from hiring a bad contractor
It's the same story customers have been telling us for weeks.
"It was excuse, after excuse," Winston Bohorquez, a customer who paid Amanda more than $9,000, said. He and his wife have been waiting for Amanda to pay them back for months.
"[She] always had this elaborate [excuse], and just had something that was ridiculous that you kinda feel bad for, but are like this can't be real," Miranda Young, a customer who paid Amanda nearly $8,000, echoed.
FINANCIAL CRIMES INVESTIGATOR'S ADVICE
All of the customers who talked to TMJ4 said they felt like they shouldn't have had to go through all of this.
So, we took their concerns to financial crimes investigator April DeValkenaere, who's spent the last several decades working as a detective and then in the district attorney's office prosecuting white collar crimes.
"It's incredibly difficult to try and get your money back, which is why we want people to be diligent on the front end," DeValkenaere said.
Her work continues now with her own forensic accounting firm, where she also trains law enforcement agencies on how to investigate white collar crimes.
"You have to be an informed consumer, and the only way you can be an informed consumer is by actually going through those extra steps and being diligent on who am I hiring," DeValkenaere explained.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU HIRE A CONTRACTOR
Here are some things she recommends you do before you hire a contractor of any kind:
1. Get three quotes from three different businesses. The cheapest offer, isn't always your best option.
2. Check the Better Business Bureau for reviews and complaints, not just a rating. The BBB records all reviews and complaints for businesses on their website and sometimes has the business's response to those complaints.
3. Do your research online. This includes going to the state's Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to search if the business holds a license and has a registered LLC with the state. Also, it's crucial you visit the Department of Safety and Professional Services License-E look up. Here, you can search if contractors have the appropriate license to do the work they're soliciting.
4. Ask the company for proof of insurance, so you aren't responsible for any damages. The company should have this readily available for customers.
5. Check the email address of the company. All emails should be coming from a business account like "Jenna.Rae@tmj4.com" not "Jenna.rae@gmail.com."
"I think those are great precautions to put into place, but a lot of people don't know they exist," DeValkenaere said.
WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU HIRE A CONTRACTOR
Once you've done the vetting and chosen a company, DeValkenaere and the state's consumer protection agency recommend getting everything written into a contract.
"When are they supposed to be starting? What type of materials are they supposed to be using? When should it be done? And if it's not on track, be very open to communication with that contractor to make sure we're finding out why," DeValkenaere explained.
All of that should be included, along with everything that's written out in Wisconsin State Law.
DeValkenaere said it's crucial to have the total cost and money you have to put down in the contract. She recommends never putting down more than 50 percent.
"They [the contractor] do have to potentially lay out drawings, they may have to hire an architect, they may have to buy supplies, they have to pay for permits, so it's necessary to have some of those funds down," DeValkenaere said.
Lastly, DeValkenaere said it's extremely important to request lien waivers from all contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers at, or prior to, the time any payment is made. These waivers ensure you're not responsible for payments or material costs after the fact.
If you believe you're also a potential victim of T & A Heating and Cooling, you're encouraged to call Racine Police Investigators at 262-635-7756.
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