APOPKA, Fla. – Last month, News 6 reported on an Apopka family that lost tens of thousands of dollars after a roofing company cashed their insurance check but never replaced their roof.
Now, the investigation extends from Orange County to Palm Beach County, where another couple and their neighbor say they experienced the same problem with the same company.
Scott Bahr and Christina Baez contacted News 6 investigator Louis Bolden after seeing the previous report about Steve Coleman and his wife losing thousands to Hurricane Roofer.
“My jaw dropped,” Baez said.
“We saw the News 6 article with the Colemans, we’re like, that is exactly what’s happening to us here,” Bahr said.
Scott said they didn’t feel alone after seeing the report and felt compelled to expose Hurricane Roofer.
[BELOW: Roofing company cashes insurance check, leaves Apopka couple without roof or money]
After a hailstorm hit their Lake Worth neighborhood, Bahr says he was approached by a Hurricane Roofer representative who confirmed damage to their roof.
The couple filed an insurance claim and received a check for more than $20,000 for a new roof.
On June 10, they signed a contract with Hurricane Roofer and paid an $11,500 deposit, according to the agreement.
The contract stated the roof would start in about six weeks.
However, six months later, they have heard nothing from the company.
“We didn’t hear any communication from them regarding a start date, anything, nothing,” Bahr said.
They say the company recently promised a start date of the week of Thanksgiving, but that didn’t happen either.
“So once they got the money, you stopped hearing from them?,” Bolden asked.
“Correct,” Bahr said.
The payment was withdrawn from their account on June 23, according to the couples electronic bank statement.
“At this point, we just want our money back so we can get our roof done as it should have been from the beginning,” Baez said.
The couples neighbor, Charly Benoit, confirmed he had similar issues with Hurricane Roofer.
“As soon as I paid him, everything changed,” Benoit said.
His insurance company paid out a claim for a new roof and gave him an $11,000 check, which he endorsed to a Hurricane Roofer employee in May, Benoit said.
Since then, he says, “it’s excuses after excuses.”
His insurance company confirmed the check was cashed, according to Benoit, but seven months later, his roof still has not been replaced.
“I feel that I got played and really I feel powerless,” he said.
News 6 visited Hurricane Roofer’s office in Orlando but got no answer.
News 6 also left messages for owner Tim Fickes.
Fickes responded with a statement from an attorney asking for the names and addresses of the clients in Palm Beach County so they could research and draft an appropriate response.
When we asked where the names should be sent, we got no response.
The original message had attorney Aaron Thalwitzer’s name at the bottom.
The attorney’s telephone number was in the message. News six left a voicemail message asking where the names should be sent and reiterating the deadine for a response.
We didn’t get one.
We also emailed Thalwitzer’s office to to confirm he is representing Fickes.
We got no response.
The original statement read in part: “We are open to resolution and direct communication. If the two individuals would like to engage in a constructive process to address scheduling, scope, or refund questions, our client remains willing to do so directly (or through counsel).”
Bahr says they have lost trust.
“I’d prefer my money back. I don’t trust you. You could rip my roof off and not finish it.”