More Valley homeowners say RKO Construction ripped them off
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Phil Maron says he’s another homeowner who fell victim to a company called RKO Construction.
“That’s why I contacted you. I wanted to let you know how much money he took from me,” Phil told On Your Side’s Gary Harper. “Tell me about Ryan O’Neal,” Harper asked. Phil replied, “He seemed knowledgeable. He had all the answers. He was friendly. Which is exactly why Phil says he hired Ryan O’Neal for a remodeling job.”
But after handing over three separate payments totaling $36,355, Phil says Ryan O’Neal did very little work over several weeks.
Phil is not alone. On Your Side has received other emails from homeowners like Morgan Prikhodovskiy saying she, too, gave money to Ryan O’Neal, and then he vanished. “I hate to get emotional, but I definitely don’t want this happening to someone else. People work hard for their money,” Prikhodovskiy said, crying. But it is happening, so homeowners like Morgan and Phil want their money back.
After On Your Side’s first report about RKO Construction, the contractor’s website now reads “Closed For Business” after being in business for just nine months.
In an earlier phone conversation, Ryan O’Neal acknowledged he was still taking down payments, knowing the company was going downhill. During the conversation, Harper said, “That doesn’t look very good for you. It looks like you knew exactly what was going on. You were doing a money grab and then all of a sudden saying you’re pulling the plug and filing bankruptcy. Ryan O’Neal replied, “Yeah, well, I know what it looks like.”
As for Phil, he has a signed contract from Ryan O’Neal himself, claiming he will return some of the $36,355. But to this day, Phil says he hasn’t received anything. “He signed it, and I signed it,” Phil said, shaking his head. Harper asked, “And you haven’t seen a penny of it?” Phil said, “Not a penny.”
Ryan O’Neal told On Your Side weeks ago that he was preparing to file for bankruptcy. However, after reviewing federal bankruptcy records, he hasn’t.
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