Family fights to be reimbursed for unfinished roof

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- It's been a year and one Hartford family still has an unfinished roof and is out thousands of dollars.

A Hartford woman says she and her son put a stop to the job last September when they noticed something was strange. Now, they're battling with that contractor to get back the thousands they paid upfront.

A mark on the ceiling makes Claudette White worry every time it rains.

"We've gotta be catching the water all over the place," said White. "The main roof is leaking."

Last September, she hired Miranda Construction to do the repairs after admiring the work done at her neighbor's.

So, she signed a contract with Adriano Miranda and paid him $6,000. When he dropped off the materials, her son saw a red flag and got a second opinion.

"This is not for the roof at all," White said.

Two other carpenters told the family that Miranda was going to use chipboard, not plywood for the roof.

"When it's wet, it swells," White said.

So, she's been battling for months to get her money back.

What really bugs her is that she claims her son went down to the Department of Development and was told "we can help you if you use a contractor by the name of Mike Jones. Here's his number."

However, they denied it.

"So, you know Mike Jones, but you never told her to have Mike Jones do the work and only Mike Jones," asked News 8's Erin Logan.

"No," said a worker at the Department of Development.

The Department of Consumer Protection also sent her a letter saying, "we must restrict our investigative activities to those complaints which indicate a pattern of unfairness or deception, substantially affecting public interest."

"No help based on this letter," asked Logan.

"No help whatsoever, none," White said.

So, she had lawyers send Miranda letters, and still no response.

A few weeks ago, White showed up at Miranda's house and they spoke outside on the lawn. He told her he would pay her back in small amounts, starting with $1,000, but she has yet to see a dime.

News 8 knocked on the door and called two numbers for him.

"I'm standing outside your house, looking to speak with you," said Logan.

We left a specific message, but still no response.

"All we need is the money back. That's all we need," said White. "The weather is changing, the season is changing. We need our roof to be done."

The Department of Consumer Protection says one other complaint has since been filed against Miranda Construction. In White's case, they advise her to seek legal assistance from services offered in town.