COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. -- Kristy Dyer and her husband are frustrated with former contractor Steve Abdalla. She said they paid him $3,200 in late 2015 for thirteen new windows and installation.
To this day, they said only one window has been partially installed. They said Abdalla never answers their phone calls, often ignores their texts or gives excuses as to why he can't finish the job or refund them their money.
Abdalla owned Interior and Exterior Remodeling in East Grand Rapids. Dyer said she paid him the $3,200 in full and upfront in October 2015.
"We've tried so hard to work with him for the past year and a half," Dyer said.
"But we just continue to get screwed over day after day basically," she added.
Dyer said, "He said 4 to 6 weeks the windows would come in and after they came in he would then contact me and put them in then."
Instead, she said months of silence followed and that the silence was only broken by excuses.
"He was going through a divorce. He got in over his head with spending money and now that he's a single father and having to pay child support and raise his kids on his own he's really struggling," Dyer recalled.
The Dyers said they tried to accommodate all of that. But here they are a year and a half later, and the family said Steve Abdalla only attempted to install one window. They said that was six months ago. It's clearly not finished.
"It hurts," Dyer said.
"He will never answer his phone. It's been maybe a year almost. It's been strictly text. He doesn't answer when I call," she explained.
So the FOX 17 Problem Solvers called Abdalla at his current job. He said he hit a rough patch, closed his business and plans to get Dyer her money within 10 days (4/5/17). So we waited.
But on the 11th day he still hadn't paid up. So the Problem Solvers visited where he lives in East Grand Rapids.
Abdalla didn't come to the door. We then called him, and he refused to come to the door.
However, he said he'd get the Dyers their money by next Friday (4/14/17). He said it's wrong for FOX 17 to do a story on him because there are other contractors ripping people off for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"Us doing a story is not right? Is keeping 3200 dollars right?" we asked him.
A closer look at Abdalla's background turned up another now-defunct company, GreenTimber Construction. It has the same slogan of "Quality, Integrity and Service." The company has similar complaints online.
"We're just looking to get back what's ours," Dyer said.
As part of the contract, Abdalla agreed to do extra house work if there's a delay in purchased and installing the windows. The family said he eventually painted three rooms.
For tips on hiring a contractor check out theBetter Business Bureau.
problemsolvers@fox17online.com
