St. Joseph residents cautioned to do ample research to avoid business scams

By Jazmine Knight

What should have been standard HVAC repairs left one St. Joseph woman inconvenienced and out thousands of dollars, and she’s warning others to do their research before hiring anyone.

It all started back in June of 2023, when Amy Bowman hired a local contracting company to install the HVAC. Even though it was summer, she wanted to get it replaced early. Her boyfriend and son recently died, leaving her to serve as a caregiver to her young grandson. Her goal was to get the HVAC replaced before cold weather set in to keep her and her grandson warm.

She signed a contract in June and paid the company $8,000 upfront to complete the job.

Months passed, and Bowman didn’t have much luck in contacting the company. Employees promised that they would come out to her house to get started on the job.

“In November, I still had no heat,” Bowman said.

When temperatures started to drop, she still had no HVAC. Bowman ran a kerosene heater to keep her grandson warm, which also had complications.

“I was running a kerosene heater and I carbon monoxide (poisoned) my grandson, because we had no heat and I had to keep him warm,” she said.

Finally, later in November, she received a visit from the company, which then installed a furnace. The problem: It was too small to support her house.

“It would eat up all my propane. Well, being on a fixed income, I have to watch my bills and whatnot, so I couldn’t afford that,” Bowman said.

She politely asked the contractors for a replacement. Two weeks later, the company returned, but with no furnace.

Infuriated, Bowman requested the company to remove all its equipment from her home. She wanted a refund.

“I was like, ‘You just need to take all this stuff and go because I’m not, I’m not doing this. You know, I’ve been waiting all this time and nothing’s been done,’” she said.

The contractor obliged, packing up his belongings and leaving.

“I messaged him and I said, ‘You know, I would like my money back because they took your stuff back.’ And he’s like, ‘Okay, I’ll get your money back. I’ll get your money back,’” Bowman said.

“Well, this is now February, and I’ve had to hire an attorney to take him to court to see about getting my money back because, you know, he hasn’t contacted me or anything,” she continued.

Apparently, Bowman isn’t the only victim. She recalled another person being scammed of $4,000. When she spoke about her experience on Facebook, she said others came out saying they had been taken advantage of by the same company.

Bowman said the situation makes her feel stressed. After already paying out $8,000 on a fixed income, she now has to care for her grandson, pay for funeral costs, pay her attorney and hire someone else to replace her HVAC system.

“I know, it wasn’t easy for me to come up with the $8,000, but he got it,” she said. “I’ve been financially struggling to get this done. I had to sell stuff to get him his money.”

Ken Schroeder, a financial crimes detective with the St. Joseph Police Department, said these types of scams are on the rise. The best way to avoid them is to spend extensive time researching.

“First off is trying to get at least three estimates. Compare those three estimates with each other and see if the prices are within reason of each other,” Schroeder said. “Ask for an explanation if the bids are the three bids you got and one significantly lower, ask for an explanation of why it’s so much lower,” he said.

Next, research the company online and look for reviews or complaints. Ensure the company is either licensed and insured or bonded. A good resource is the Better Business Bureau.

“Ask the contractor if they’re going to get the necessary building permits to do jobs here, like in town. If they’re not planning on doing that, then that’s definitely a red flag,” Schroeder said.

Another piece of advice would be to make sure all estimates and contracts include the work to be done, as well as starting and completion dates.

“Make sure that the contract has the contractor’s name, address, phone number and license numbers and estimate. A start and completion date is very important,” he said.

“Ask for a written statement of your right to cancel the contract within three business days if you decide not to go with them and make sure that all the spaces on contract are not left blank for them to fill anything out or do anything.”

He also suggests only paying up to a 20% deposit. Residents should also ask the contractor for a W-9 form, which will include all their information about their business and their federal tax ID number. If they aren’t willing, this could be an indicator of something shady.

“If those things do happen and you’re a victim to fraud, of course, make a report with your local law enforcement. If you wrote a check or paid with a credit card, contact your bank. Make sure they’re aware of that. So no other fraud is continuing … report to the Federal Trade Commission, report it to the Missouri attorney general’s office,” he said.

Bowman said she’s disappointed in the company and hopes this doesn’t happen to others.

“Taking advantage of people is not right. I mean, they trust you. You know, you’re a professional or supposed to be a professional and they trust you. So for you to be taking money from people who work hard is ridiculous,” she said.

Bowman’s father ended up replacing her HVAC system. Bowman was hesitant to ask him in the beginning, as he is battling cancer.

Bowman and her attorney are still awaiting a response from the company that she originally paid.