Ellen Gabler
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kurt Hildebrand needed a new garage door for his Milwaukee home.

He found what seemed like a suitable contractor on Craigslist, a free Web site for local classified ads.

David R. Barrett, of Ideal Home Improvements, came to Hildebrand’s home and gave him an estimate - $660 for a new door.

Five weeks later, Barrett still hasn’t fixed the garage door and won’t return the $500 that Hildebrand gave him as a deposit.

“That’s the easiest $500 he’s made,” Hildebrand said.

Barrett is still advertising on Craigslist, touting himself in separate ads as a Christian or as a U.S. veteran willing to make home repairs or house-sit. When reached by phone, Barrett told Public Investigator to “mind your own business” and declined to answer questions.

For several years, complaints against home improvement companies have held steady as the fourth most common issue consumers complained about to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

But there are ways to decrease the chance of being swindled by an unscrupulous contractor.

If Hildebrand had checked into Barrett, for example, he might have thought twice about hiring him.

In 2003, Barrett was convicted of two separate counts of theft by contractor, a misdemeanor and a felony, in Ozaukee and Milwaukee counties, according to online court records.

In 2007, two people complained to the state consumer protection agency that Barrett took their money but never performed any work, according to complaints filed with the agency.

State officials said they mailed letters to Barrett, but the documents were returned by the post office.

Recently, another homeowner tried to warn others about Barrett.

In February, Laura Boltik hired Barrett to remodel her utility room.

She said she paid him $1,450, but he did shoddy work - her walls had gaping holes, a gas piped started to leak and the new carpet was cut crookedly. She had to pay someone else $1,800 to rip it all out and fix it.

Boltik couldn’t recover the money paid to Barrett but decided to post ads in Barrett’s domain - Craigslist - warning other homeowners about him.

“People should really check people out,” she said.

To avoid falling into the same trap as Hildebrand and Boltik, homeowners are advised to do their research before plunking down cash and inviting people into their homes, said Jim Rabbitt, director of the state Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Consumers should do two main things to protect themselves from being swindled: research a contractor’s background and control the flow of money.

Homeowners should check online court records as well as the company’s history with the Better Business Bureau and the state’s consumer protection agency.

A contractor should also be able to provide recent references, Rabbitt said. The homeowner should ask references if the contractor completed work on time, and quickly addressed any problems that came up.

And never pay the full price upfront.

Most down payments are between 20% and 30% of a project’s cost, said Dean Herriges, a remodeling contractor and director of the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

In exchange for a down payment, a homeowner should receive a contract detailing the project.

About halfway through a project, homeowners should request lien waivers signed by suppliers and subcontractors saying they were paid for the materials that have been put into the home.

At the end of a project, contractors should provide proof that all labor and supplies were paid for, Herriges said.

Both Boltik and Hildebrand wish they would have followed these steps before hiring Barrett, who seemed professional and knowledgeable when they first met him.

“He just talked a really good game,” Boltik said.

Hildebrand has since asked a woman in his neighborhood for advice on a reliable contractor to fix the garage door. He’s steering away from online recommendations.

“You can do a lot of damage with Craigslist and a cell phone,” he said.