Cooper
RALEIGH, N.C. (Legal Newsline) - North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced on Friday that he has ordered a Tennessee-based paving company to stop doing business in North Carolina.
Platinum Paving and its owner, Todd E. Whittaker, allegedly went to houses with offers to pave driveways at discounted prices, claiming that they had materials left over from nearby jobs.
Many times, Cooper alleges, the company began work without authorization, demanding immediate payment once done. In some cases, they even inflicted damage to the property, Cooper says.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Robert H. Hobgood granted a temporary restraining order to stop the company from offering or performing any further residential driveway paving services while the order remains in effect.
Cooper alleges that seniors were often targeted in the deceptive sales and that the work performed by Platinum was often shoddy.
"Problem pavers are popping up across the state, preying on vulnerable seniors," Cooper said. "Don't be fooled by their high-pressure sales pitches and often empty promises."
Under state law, consumers are granted the right to cancel most door-to-door purchases within three days, and the business itself is required to tell the customers of this right.
Cooper's complaint alleges that Whittaker used a pre-printed contract that said the consumers would waive their right to cancel once signed, which is not legal in the state unless it is an emergency situation.
Cooper is also seeking civil penalties and restitution for consumers taken in by their deception.