Complaint Review: J & M Electrical Services - Raleigh North Carolina

I own a stone and tile restoration company. From time to time we will barter services with other service providers. It has worked out very nicely for us for years and we have found so many new friends through this where we can make a win/win situation...that was until we met James Mangum 919-954-0594 or 919-791-6141.

The deal was that he was going to install electrical hookups and a dryer vent in my garage so I can move my washer and dryer out there, set up our small shop building in the back yard with an electrical outlet, change out electrical fixtures in the house, help install electric to my water pump for the small water fountain in the front yard, install wired garden lighting and a decorative light post in the front.  I would supply all the supplies.  He said he might need help from his assistant who arrived with him at the initial meeting, for hooking up the washer and dryer and if he did have to use the assistant that he would charge $250.00 to cover that labor. 

In exchange, we were going to repair/re-secure the loose tiles in his kitchen, eat-in area and powder bathroom, re-grout where needed, color seal the grout.  Also color enhance the slate in his foyer and either re-paint his existing tub and remove the existing wall cover to install tile or re-coat the entire area.  We would supply all the labor and supplies.

A friend of mine lost her husband to a tragic accident. I wanted to help her in anyway I could, so my husband and I volunteer to help her with her home. I mentioned to James that I would work another barter with him if he could help her move her washer and dryer hook ups to the other side of the wall into the garage. He said that his parents lived out there and not to worry about offering extra service.  He was able to use her original supplies and said he wanted to help because he wanted to help mend her broken hear and his parents lived near her and he was planning to be there anyway. 

Well I was so grateful, I polished and sealed his granite and sealed his back splash and gave him a gallon of product that would help him preserve all of his home's hard surfaces.

Because he didn't know what he wanted to do in the shower, we held off on that project.  We completed the downstairs projects for him all together totaling $2,000.00 of labor and products.

He later went with me to Lowe's and I purchased everything he said I would need for my electrical projects.  We came to my house and he replace 7 of 23 light fixtures that he promised to replace. He then stated that he had scrap wires left over from an old job and would rather use that to install the washer and dryer connections.  He cut a huge piece out of my garage wall and installed the plastic casing on the stud.  He drilled a hole through the exterior of the wall to pull the wires through but didn't install the wires into the electric panel because he said he wanted to wait until the plumber came to install the plumbing.  All the while he kept talking on his cell.  When he showed me that his cell screen was broken and he didn't have insurance on it, I realized I had a new phone that was identical and I gave it to him, the home and car chargers.  (I am all about trying to help out.)

Later, the plumber had to cancel, then Thanksgiving came, Christmas and then our family contracted H1N1.  James called to tell me that he found 2 more tile loose in his kitchen floor. (We already replaced 12)  I told him that we were out of town for the holiday and when we returned we got ill. By this time, we had already provided $2,000 worth of work and according to his math, he provided $700.00 worth of services.

We had a hard time juggling the schedule.  Recently, he sent me an ALL CAPS email threatening me, demanding that I pay $150.00 for the botched job he did, complete tiling his bathroom and pay $100 for the work he volunteered to do for my friend, and wants me to pay for the scraps he said he had in the truck.  Not to mention, I didn't all of my items back from the purchase we made at Lowe's for the supplies for my house.

So when I placed each detail of our agreement, showed the projects that each side completed it shows that he owes us $1300 worth of work or to pay us for our labor and supplies.  He doesn't deny it...he just says if I don't give him cash he will just place a mechanic's lien on my house and my friend's house tomorrow.

In his emails he calls me stupid, he claims he didn't mention anything about an assistant (which is an outright lie), and he is completely threatening, unprofessional and clearly demonstrates an unethical character.

Now we have to fix the garage wall, hire another electrician to re-do the project and he never did the garden lights, the water fountain pump, the remaining fixture replacements (we finally just did it ourselves), the decorative light post is not installed...basically the only thing he did was demo my garage wall in a horrible way, and replace 7 of my old fixtures with 7 of the new fixtures I bought.

He lied, changed the story, demanded money when there was no money to be exchanged and is now filing a frivolous lien on my house.  To me, this guy is a scam artist.

BUYER BEWARE