Some people in Gaylord whose homes were damaged during last year’s tornado say they’ve been scammed by a local construction company.
There are reportedly dozens of homeowners in Gaylord that hired Liquid Roofing and Construction to fix the damage on their house from the tornado.
Nicole Jones is one of the homeowners that said she was scammed by the company. She said after the tornado there was a lot of options to choose from in terms of roofing companies.
“In the week following the tornado there was constantly flyers and business cards being shoved under our door,” Jones stated.
Jones said she was wary of scammers but after being approached by Liquid Roofing and Construction she decided to sign a contract with them. They put down a deposit of $5,000, and although the company did put down a tarp, she said that’s pretty much all they did.
“In the first few weeks and months they were doing the things I though they needed to be doing, but then unfortunately they stopped returning our calls and messages or anything,” Jones claimed.
Every few months, Jones said they would receive and email with an excuse as to why they hadn’t started construction. After more than a year of living under a damaged roof Jones said she didn’t know what to do so she turned to the United Way, and they pointed her to Apa Construction.
Ralph Apa, the owner of Apa Construction says they had heard about what happened, and despite Jones planning to pay them Apa turned it down and decided to fix their roof for free.
“[We] pretty much made the decision we were going to donate this roof. She went through enough and we’re fortunate that we can do that,” Apa admitted.
Builders First Source donated the underpayment, while Hardy Farms donated the dumpster and Apa Construction did the rest. Jones said she is disappointed in the situation but was blown away by the community’s generosity.
“It’s unfortunate I found myself in a situation with someone who didn’t have my best interest at heart, but there are good people out in the world and I’m so thankful for them,” Jones said.
Jones has filed a police report and complaints with the Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Agency (LARA) and the Attorney General’s office.
Numerous attempts were made to contact Liquid Roofing and Construction, but we were unable to get ahold of them.
If you are a survivor of the Gaylord Tornado and need help click here to get in contact with the Gaylord Long Term Recovery Group.