Casa Grande homeowner says fake contractor vanished with $3,700 for flooring project

CASA GRANDE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Sarah Woelfel says her house isn’t quite the same these days. “Yea, we moved out the appliances, the fridge, and all of the dining room. And the same with the laundry room,” she told 3 On Your Side.

For example, her large appliances are scattered throughout her home. “We decided to move the fridge into the den just because we needed it cold; we still needed food,” she said, pointing to the fridge.

And things like her washer and dryer have been moved to the garage. “We’ve been spending a lot of time at family and friends house, doing loads of laundry throughout the week,” said Sarah.

Sarah says her house is out of place because she hired a fake contractor by the name of Daniel Lee. He runs a business called DC which also goes by Decorative Concrete Coatings.

Dan Lee was supposed to remove her tile flooring and then stain the concrete, similar to this picture we found on the Internet. But of course, he needed money.

“How much money did you give him?” 3 On your Side’s, Gary Harper asked. “$3,781,” she replied. “That’s a lot of money. What did you get for that?” Harper asked. “A headache!” Sarah said.

Sarah says she electronically sent Lee two payments totaling just over $3,781.

She then hired movers to move her appliances so the tile could be removed. “The start date was supposed to be November 15th. And here we are in January, and not a thing has been done. Nothing,” said Sarah.

3 On Your Side tried contacting Lee on the phone. “Your phone call has been forwarded to an automatic voice mail...” the voicemail said.

Lee called me back and claimed to have had COVID, preventing him from starting Sarah’s job. Remember, she hired him over two months ago.

Regardless, he promised 3 On Your Side that he would return all $3,781 within the next ten days. I’ll make sure that happens.

In the meantime, Sarah says it’s been a learning lesson about handing money out upfront. “I’m going to be much more strict in putting my foot down and understanding that’s not how it needs to be done. When you show up, you get paid. Things like that,” she said.