WASHINGTON — A handful of Virginia neighbors say they’ve been duped after they paid a business to remove trees in their yards and only had half of the work done.
It seemed like a happy coincidence to Joseph Gelo of Stafford, Virginia, when he saw a tree removal company working on his street in September.
“We’ve been trying to get trees removed at a reasonable price so we can put up a play set for our children,” Gelo says.
The day after getting an estimate from Monroe Exterior Services, Gelo says he paid owner Craig Monroe for the whole job as his crew began to remove the two trees.
“He forgot or didn’t do — whatever the case may be — the other stump where the playground was supposed to go,” Gelo says.
He tried for two months to reach Monroe and, after seeing his neighbors work was left unfinished, filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Gelo says at least two other neighbors used Monroe Exterior Services.
“We have a consumer complaint database so folks will at least know if a complaint has been filed against a particular company,” says Michael Kelley, communications director for the Virginia Attorney General’s office.
He advises consumers be extra careful paying or signing a contract with a business they don’t know — especially around the holidays.
“The holidays are a particularly busy time. Busy times lead to distractions and people letting their guard down. And scammers count on that,” Gelo says.
WTOP’s calls to owner Craig Monroe were not returned by the time this story was published.