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I have been scammed by a man posing as a Class A Master Electrician, what can I do?

Asked by marialisa (464points) November 1st, 2010

It is a long story. I checked references and licensing of all estimates I received and this guy fell through the cracks.
I installed a kitchen in my lower level. I had 18 emails, a few calls and 2 quotes from this guy who said he was a Class A Master Electrician and heavily insured and bonded by his fathers insurance company.
He did the work of moving 2 outlets to above cabinet height and running an electrical wire from garage to lower level for 40 amp stove.
He completely did the outlets wrong and my contractor had to move them up for 100 dollars more.
I tried to call him to redo the outlets and the cell number was changed. He said he was heavily insured because his family was in the insurance business. I tracked down his father who is Vice President at an Insurance Broker Firm and he said he would contact him so he could call me. He was very nice and I explained I needed electrical work done.
In the meantime I found out the gauge wire was totally not to code and that it could melt and burn my home down. I then called the department of Labor and Industry and found out the guy wasn’t ever even an electrician only registered for low voltage and that had expired long ago.
Then I get a phone call from him. He says he has gotten my email messages and that he was on vacation, that I was very unproffessional about contacting his father and that if I contacted his father again I would be charged with harassment. he argued with me and then he hung up. I called his father and told him he said he was a Class A Master electrician and his father said I dont know why he would have told you that.
So then I get a call back from scammer and he says he was taping the call and that if I ever contact his father again I would be charged with harassment. I said good-then tape this-you have botched the electrical work, put in wire that could burn my house down and you falsely represented a Licensed Class A Master Electrician. Did you get all that?
Any way, I have to buy new expensive wire and hire a real electrician. I have started a complaint with Dept. of Labor and Industry and want to file consumer fraud charges.
What can I do to get restitution and get this scammer to stop before he harms people?
He is still advertising as a licensed and insured electrical contracter with Craigslist postings.

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