Page 35 - Commentator_Jan2018

PUNTA GORDA POLICE DEPARTMENT Interim Captain Dylan Renz, drenz@pgorda.us

Beware of Fraudulent Contractors

Likely due to the after effects of Hurricane Irma, the Punta Gorda Police Department has recently seen
an increase in contractor complaints. Con-artists frequently pose as reputable contractors to prey on
unsuspecting victims through home improvement scams. Unfortunately, home repairs can often be
daunting to many homeowners making them vulnerable to scammers. To add to the problem, the
fraudster has often left the area before the unsuspecting victim realizes they have been left with an
empty wallet and unfinished work.

The Punta Gorda Police Department encourages you to be on the lookout for traveling con-artists who:

 Peddle roofing, paving, and other repair work door-to-door.
 Use high pressure sales tactics such as “today only” or “free” inspection”.
 Say they have material left over from a previous job.
 Quote “to good to be true” prices, which are well below typical bargain prices.
 Ask for payment upfront to buy materials or request that the full amount be paid before work is done.
 Drive vehicles with no company name and out-of-state plates.

Do your homework before you begin a home improvement project or repair:

 Find a “reputable” contractor – referrals from friends, neighbors and co-workers are a great place to start.
 Ask questions such as business license information, insurance, etc. or better yet, check for yourself at
www.myfloridalicense.com.
 Write down the vehicle make, model and license plate number. Keep all of your contracts, payment documentation
and correspondence in a file together should you need to refer to it for civil or criminal cases.
 Insist on a written contract detailing the work to be done. Criminal cases require the victim to notify the contractor by
certified return receipt mail after sixty days of no work being started. This notice gives the contractor another thirty
days to commence with the project before it will be considered a criminal violation. This is why a dated contract is so
important to have.
 Get a reliability report from the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org.

If you believe that you may have been defrauded by a contract, please contact the Punta Gorda Police Department at
941-639-4111.

THE GIFTED GATOR BOUTIQUE Donnie Brennan 941-575-8808

With Christmas now over, we all share the daunting task of taking down all our holiday decorations. I haven’t figured out
yet which is more tiresome–putting them up or taking them down. Either way, I always need a full day to recover just
from pulling and lifting all the boxes.

It’s also sad to see all the pretty holiday items gone from the Gifted Gator. They always make the shop look so festive,
but we still have many items you can peruse and hopefully purchase.

We have a new consignor who makes lovely table decorations from gourds! You really need to stop in and see her
carefully decorated vegetables.

I have a wonderful idea. Many of us have friends who live in the Port Charlotte and Fort Myers areas. Why not invite
them to visit you for the day and bring them to the Gifted Gator? I can almost guarantee that unless you’ve told them
about us, they have no idea we’re here for them as well as the folks in PGI. How do I know? I’ve spoken to people in the
Port Charlotte area and they thought our lovely little shop was just for us. What an eye-opener! So, please bring, bring
your friends. I know they’ll love us.

35