New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman obtained a legal judgment on Monday against two home improvement contractors who allegedly scammed New York customers while going door-to-door offering to pave and repair driveways.
Joshua Cooper, of Ovid, New York, and Robert Cooper of Romulus, New York, were doing business under the name Finger Lakes Asphalt in the Southern Tier and Central New York. The contractors allegedly did subpar work or did not complete jobs, talked customers into paying rates higher than agreed upon, and violated New York's home improvement contract laws.
“This judgment makes it clear that my office will continue to fight for middle class families and hold scammers accountable when they take advantage of ordinary New Yorkers,” Schneiderman said. “There has to be one set of rules for everyone, from Wall Street to Main Street, and I am pleased we were able to seek justice and secure restitution for victims.”
The defendants allegedly would go door-to-door informing customers that they had an extra load of blacktop and would offer them a good price for their services. They allegedly quoted a rate to the customers, but did not offer a written contract. The work was begun immediately and customers allege that more money was requested before the job was complete. The work done was often called shoddy or unfinished by unhappy customers.
The judgment requires the defendants to pay $8,150 in restitution to six customers. Any other consumers who were caught up in this scam may contact the attorney general's Office by Dec. 27 to seek restitution.