Complaint Review: AJ's Landscaping Service and Design

Michael Allen Jackson, the owner of this "company", answered a request for quotes I placed on homeadvisor.com for a landscaping contractor. While he was inspecting the work area I asked if he had a contractor's license. He said yes and I stupidly accepted his answer without checking California's online contractor database. We reached a mutually agreeable price and a set of specifications for the project that included two drip systems with separate timers and a 3 inch thick layer of 3/8" to 5/8" river rock over 5 Oz. woven polypropylene landscaping fabric covering the entire project area. I paid half the contract price upfront with the other half due on satisfactory completion of the project. At the end of the first day of work, when I returned from my job, Allen told me that the rock was more expensive than he had expected and hinted that I should give him more money. I told him that there was no way I would give him more money until the project was completed. A couple of days later, when I got home, he showed me the materials he purchased. They included a single drip timer, around 20 foot of drip hose and two rolls of landscaping fabric. He also said he had decided he was only going to place 1 inch of rock. The project was 1600 to 2000 sq ft, an entire back yard. This was no where near enough to adequately complete the project and I told him so in no uncertain terms. I loudly told him that he was not allowed to unilaterally change the contract. He said that he was the expert and that contractors always changed the contract if they thought they should. We had a late family appointment so I told him we would discuss it the next day, Saturday. When we got back home I did what I should have done the first day rather than allowing myself to be pressured into moving fast and I researched him and his company on the Internet. First I found that the address he gave homeadvisor.com was fake, no street by that name. Second I found no business or contractor's license in his or his "company's" name. When he got there the next day, the first thing he said was that he had bought more rock so I should give him more money. I told him what I had found on the Internet and he admitted that he had neither a business license nor a contractor's license but said he was a good Christian so I should forgive him and let him finish the project. I told that I no longer trusted him and I wanted to reach a equitable settlement of our contract. He said that if I gave him another 600 he would be satisfied. I told him that not only was he not getting more money but I thought he owed me quite a bit back. He became very belligerent, to such an extent that I dialed 911 whereupon he grabbed and the materials purchased at my expense and left. Now I'm out the money I paid for materials (he did deserve partial payment for his labor) but no where near the $1900 he stole. Be forewarned!