A Minnesota man who took advantage of an elderly North Dakota homeowner has been banned from doing business in this state.
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has issued a “cease and desist” order against Joe Beaulieu, doing business as Dakotah Roofing and Remodeling. Consumer Protection division director Parrell Grossman says the elderly homeowner contracted with Beaulieu for $91,000 of home repairs. That happened back in 2013. Grossman says the woman made a formal complaint this year.
"He had only completed a portion of those repairs over about a two year period," said Grossman. "It was estimated that at least $50,000 in repairs had not been completed at the time of the complaint in January."
Grossman says Beaulieu had promised to refund $30,000 to the consumer – but that hasn’t happened. And he says even though Beaulieu had a contractor’s license in 2013, he let it expire in 2014.
"We're extremely distressed that he took advantage of this very elderly consumer under these kinds of circumstances, and caused so much damage," said Grossman.
And Grossman says it's very difficult to get money back in these circumstances. He says it has been very difficult to locate Beaulieu.
"It appears he has multiple addresses, including Blaine, Waubun and Bloomington," said Grossman. "We're likely not going to be able to recover the money -- and she will have to hire someone else to finish the work. And that's unfortunate."
Grossman says before homeowners pay any money to a contractor, the homeowner should make sure the contractor is properly licensed – and will give the homeowner a written and detailed estimate of the time needed to complete the job.
