CANNON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — True Value Builders' accreditation with the Better Business Bureau of West Michigan has been revoked. Today, the BBB told the FOX 17 Problem Solvers that the board met and made the decision yesterday.
Meantime, more customers have reached out to the Problem Solvers with complaints since our first story last week.
Jack Maher and his wife are in their late 80s and have lived on Bostwick Lake near Rockford since 1963. Last August, the couple decided to add a sunroom. So they hired True Value Builders out of Wyoming and interacted with owner James (Jim) Foguth.
Maher recalled, "He said, 'I'll make you a good deal.'"
Maher said the $25,000 price quote seemed to good to pass up. But he said a number of problems followed, including leaks, bad caulking and materials still sitting in his garage from an unfinished job.
"They still got a space over there - maybe about four to six inches - that there's nothing. You got to take another piece of board and put up in there to hold it where the water come down," Maher explained.
Shelly Derosia, the Mahers' granddaughter, said, "I came over, and the room had water going into a bucket."
She added, "It was all over the floor at the time."
Derosia said True Value Builders put the roof on three different times to stop the leak but said so many issues remain. Beyond the actual work, she said Foguth paid himself off early. Derosia said loan company Greensky informed her of this.
"[Foguth] brought all of my grandfather's personal information back to his office and applied for the credit online," she explained.
"So when he applied for it, they needed an email address to send the approval code to. Once he received the approval code, that was how he was able to charge the actual account without letting anyone know," Derosia said.
"It is fraud, very much so. That's why we ended up calling the police and filing a report with them," she added.
Even Cannon Township is now involved.
"He didn't get permits for any of this," Derosia showed us letters from the township.
The Problem Solvers stopped by True Value Builders storefront. Like the last time we stopped by, it was locked. The business's voice message also still states he's out until Monday, with no specific date. The Mahers just want what they paid for.
"I don't think I'd ever hire him again," Maher chuckled.
The family said Foguth wrote them a $200 check for costs related to the water leak damage and a fan, but they learned from the bank the check was no good.
Derosia said Foguth's deadline to contact Cannon Township about the un-pulled permits was today. It's not clear if he did that.
Jim Foguth has yet to grant the Problem Solvers an on camera interview to talk about the allegations against his business.
If you have a complaint or know someone who does email problemsolvers@fox17online.com.
