Mills
AUGUSTA, Maine (Legal Newsline) - Maine Attorney General Janet Mills announced on Tuesday that her office has filed a lawsuit against a chimney repair business that allegedly engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices.
Lysco Contracting, Inc., a residential chimney and furnace repair business operating in central Maine, allegedly defrauded homeowners by convincing them that they needed expensive repairs that were not necessary.
Mills alleged that the business was not registered to conduct door-to-door sales or transient sales in the state and that it failed to notify consumers of their right to cancel a contract within three days.
"In tight economic times, Maine's citizens cannot afford to lose money to such unscrupulous practices," Mills said. "This office will be vigilant to protect innocent Maine citizens and to pursue shoddy door to door salesmen who prey on our elderly."
Mills' office received numerous complaints from consumers saying that Lysco called older citizens and offered to inspect or clean their chimneys for $50 or less.
Many of these inspections led to the company stating that the customer's chimney was dangerous and that it needed an expensive chimney liner, which cost in excess of thousands of dollars, Mills claims.