KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- There are a number of people who have hired Aaron Weaver who say the only thing he's good at is getting business, accepting payment, and taking off. Now a Kalamazoo veteran is joining the list, saying he, too, fell victim to a man with no morals.
"We've dealt with contractors before. We just got a bad one this time," Tony Reetz said.
"A bad one" may be putting it mildly, but Reetz is a mild-mannered guy. The army veteran needs work done on his driveway, garage, and walkway. So in March, the Kalamazoo homeowner hired concrete contractor Aaron Weaver after spotting his ad in the newspaper.
"And he gave me a military discount, ex-Army," Reetz said.
He said Weaver even reduced the total amount and started rushing him for a deposit to start the job.
"Should have been my first clue that he wasn't legit," Reetz said.
But he said the job never started even though he'd given Weaver $1,500 upfront. He said the excuses began and then Weaver stopped responding.
"I was made known of your show Problem Solvers that there was a concrete guy on there, and I checked it out and it was certainly him," Reetz said.
That was mid-May. Weaver, a Paw Paw resident, faces the same accusation from a couple inNileswho were building a wedding chapel. But they weren't alone. Afollow-up story revealed Weaver's arrest record. He has 14 mugshots that include several charges of operating as an unlicensed contractor.
"It bothers me a lot that people do this," Reetz said. "Anybody who scams people out of there money... just not a, not a decent person."
Reetz alerted the newspaper to pull Weaver’s ads and has since hired another company to do the work. He said he vetted the new company through the Better Business Bureau and made sure they're insured.
He wants his money back from Weaver and has a warning for others after spotting another ad in the paper.
"[It's] Not "Weaver Concrete" [anymore] but "All in 1 Concrete and Masonry" that looked very much like Weaver's ad, but lo and behold it's the same phone number [Weaver used]," he said.
It's the same number but has a different business name in the paper. He's also offering a senior discount.
Even law enforcement is recommending potential customers to take their business elsewhere. The Allegan County Sheriffs Department warned of Weaver after a citizen spotted him after seeing the FOX 17 Problem Solvers story.
"Aaron Weaver, I think you should return my money as well as all the other people you've scammed and just start working legitimately," Reetz said.
Reetz hired a new company who didn't take a down payment and will be paid once the job is done. He said concrete work begins tomorrow.
As for Weaver, the Problem Solvers left another message for him. In the past, he's put the blame on customers, directed us to his lawyer, and hung up. His lawyer also didn't return our phone calls.
