Beware Home and Garden!

This is a story about a contractor that gives other contractors a bad name and going a step further... a friend that gives friends a bad name! Another client read about this story in her hometown paper and contacted me to say that she is also a victim (her story is also listed here). She lives down the street from Jon and he got her too!!! We aren't the only two that he has done this to so we're looking for other clients that he owes money to.

I knew Jon for about 7 years. Overall he seemed to be a decent guy. He had financial issues here and there plus he seemed to have alot of "problem clients". But when your friends with someone, you take most of the stories they tell you at face value and slide your judgment on their side so I didn't think a whole lot of the issues that he told me about.

I was having a house built throughout 2005. Jon kept asking me if I was going to have him do any work. I wouldn't say that the landscaping project was huge but it seemed to be more work than one person could do in a reasonable amount of time. Why only one person? Jon had multiple employees in the past but he either had to fire them or they quit. In June of 2005 I told Jon that he could do the landscaping. We discussed some numbers and came up with a total price of about $8000-$9000. He said he would need $6000. up front to get him going with the materials. So we met for breakfast on the morning of June 16th. I gave him a check for the amount of $6000. at about 11:30am and he cashed it at 12:56pm that day.

June 9th, 2005 - I took a ride to Marlborough, MA after work to pick one of Jon's trucks so he could trade it in for a new Ford F150. You'll see why this is relevant soon.

June 10th - I dropped it off at a Ford dealer in New Bedford, MA. The whole trip was about 170 miles.

June 11th - I went to Assonet, MA in the morning to pick up a utility trailer that the dealer was also taking in trade towards the new truck. After I picked that up, I parked my truck and jumped in with Jon to drive around looking at landscaping in the area. This gave both of us some ideas of what to do at my house. He also showed me where he lived as a kid, where he went to school, where he got beat up ect... We then stopped for lunch and hung out for awhile before returning to my truck and then dropping the trailer off at the Ford dealer.

June 16th - As mentioned above, I gave Jon a check for $6000. to get him started. Why did I give him this much up front? I knew money was tight and I wanted to help a friend that needed some work. He's done other jobs for me in the past and there weren't any problems.

For a few weeks after this we discussed the work that was going to be done and visited a local nursery to pick out plants, trees ect... It took a little while to get him moving on the job.

On the weekend of July 9th, Jon came by to do the plants and mulch in one corner

After this, it really started to turn into a project to get any work done. I would keep getting dates when he would start the rest of the yard but they would come and go with no results. The other work was going to include 6 trees near the road along with plants and bushes in the front, along the side and in back of the house. He would also be planting some more bushes in the back yard.

August 6th - Jon finally came by and planted 5 bushes. He said he'd be at the house most of the following week to take care of the job.

August 10th - This day is Wednesday and no Home and Garden guy. Seeing that this has been dragging out for over a month, I called a few times, received no answer so I left a message that he needed to be there by the next day or I'd have to find someone else. This got his attention because he called back around 4pm. He kept pushing off the day that he could get there and kept coming up with excuses why he couldn't do the work yet. Some of the excuses that I had heard in the previous weeks were - he hurt his hand, there was some wood/trash in the front yard (I had that stuff cleaned) and he had other jobs to do. Jon then told me that the whole job would take 2 days and that he didn't want to be at my house any longer than he had to.

Monday, August 15th - I called to let Jon know that I would be at the house early the next morning (that would be a Tuesday) and I would see him then. He got very cranky and gave me an attitude. He said that he told me that he's be there on Thursday and Friday of that week ( 8/18 and 8/19). I didn't feel like I knew the person on the other end of the phone. He was totally different and I pointed this out to him.

Tuesday, August 16th - I called the nursery where the plants/trees were supposed to come from to see if Jon had been there to tag everything. They said no. Jon called about 9:30 to ask me who I spoke with at the nursery so I told him that it didn't matter. I located a note that I wrote when we talked a few days earlier. It confirmed that he was supposed to be there on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. He said that he didn't know why because he told me Wednesday or Thursday. So I said ok and told him that I would see him tomorrow. He said "NO, I said Wednesday OR Thursday". At this point things weren't looking good and I had a suspicion that I knew why he kept putting this job off. So I asked if he still had the money for the materials. I just received a one word answer. That was "yeah". I think told him that I thought he was pushing the job off because he didn't have the money anymore. His answer was "no". The conversation ended there. I found this to be strange because most people would question why I was even asking things like that.

Thursday, August 18th - Jon was supposed to be at the house early today. I called to see how he was making out around 10:30am. He didn't answer so I left a message. Called a few other times with no answer. He finally returned my calls around 11:30. He asked what I wanted. So I asked where he was. Jon told me that he had some errands to do in the morning. He was going to finish them then head down to the nursery to tag the plants and then head to the house. At first I said ok. Then after I hung up, I thought about it for a few minutes. He's been putting the job off for at least 6 weeks. He kept giving me start dates that came and went with no results and now it was pretty much etched in stone that he would be doing the entire job this day and the next. It was 11:30, he hadn't even been to the nursery to tag everything yet. Then the materials would have to be delivered. I'm not an expert but I knew that wasn't going to happen in a few hours. So that would leave him one day to do the job that he's been putting off for awhile. Another empty promise. I called Jon back and told him that it just wasn't working out. I asked him to stop by the house to give me the rest of the money and we'd just put the whole experience behind us. He laughed and hung up. Yes, you read that right... he laughed and hung up.

After many calls to him that day he said that I paid for the materials and that I would be getting the materials but no money back. I told him that I didn't know where that came from because he'd supposed to be doing the entire job. Seeing that he hasn't done it he should give me the money back and I would hire another company to take care of it. He was now persistent that I only paid him for materials and even through he didn't pick them out yet, he was going to pick out all of the plants and have them left in the front yard. We went back and forth with this for awhile... I wasn't getting anywhere.

About 2 weeks later I had a local attorney send him a letter to demand payment. It was stated that he was in breech of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation, unfair and deceptive trade practices and other violations of the law. Jon then offered to pay me $3000. I said no to that because he only had about $500. into it with materials and labor. He told me he had about 32 hours into the job and $1000. in materials. His breakdown for this was -

12 hour of labor at the house (he might have been there a max of 5 hours total)

8 hours for "drive'bys". This is driving by houses to get landscaping ideas. Look back to June 9th on this page. This is the day after I dropped Jon's truck off at the dealer and then picked his trailer up to drop it off at the same place. We later drove through some neighborhoods and pretty much hung out for the day. And then I dropped the trailer off for him. He charged me for 8 hours this day!

8 hours for walking around the nursery picking up plants and trees (we spent about 3 hours at the nursery and he didn't do the job so I should bill him for my time).

4 hours to pick up the plants and bushes that he planted in the backyard. This probably only took about 2.

Oh yeah speaking of those plants. This picture was taken on August 15th. These plants have been sitting in pots for over a week. He never came back to put them in the ground so I took care of them -

So where do things stand now? I hired a real contractor to come in and take care of the job. They started when they were supposed to and finished on time. I give alot of credit to Professional Landscaping. Very good people! I didn't work on this to much over the last year. Gave him a little time to get his life straightened out and pay me. Of course that didn't happen so I'm taking a few routes to collect. Jon will probably see this site soon so I won't discuss them at this point.

Seeing that he has extremely bad credit and there are other clients along with past workers (he referred to them as Monkeys) tracking him down for money, he doesn't keep much (if anything) in this name. He lists PO Box 176 in Assonet, MA 02702 as his address and he won't put his name on his wife's property because he doesn't want that to be taken. They moved from a townhouse at 280 Elm St #C3 in Marlborough, MA at the beginning of 2006 to a house at 69 Wallace Ave, Auburn, MA 01501. Of course he didn't leave any forwarding info so clients can collect their debts but there is always a way to find a person... just need to find the wife! The IRS also knows how to contact him. Jon knows why they would want to have a little conversation!

My investigation has found that he has been doing home improvement work without valid HIC numbers since 2002. He worked at my home after those licenses expired. He just kept the numbers on his vehicles. I've also found that he has been trying to get work by advertising on Craigslist.

February 12, 2007 - ADDRESS UPDATE - I just found that he also operates under the name -

This truck didn't have any company markings on it as of the end of December.

Homeowners need to band together to stop contractors from taking advantage of them. Good contractors also need to join in because people like Jon don't give you guys a good name!

January 4th, 2007 - I included a FINAL NOTICE inside a Christmas card to Jon two weeks ago. It noted that payment was due today or this would be passed to a collections agency. I've been waiting to take this through the courts but they have been taking way to long to provide a court date. Collections tend to be pretty ruthless! Seeing that no payment has been received, all of his contact info has been turned over to them and this website is open for everyone to see.

January 5th - I spoke with the collection agency today. They said Jon called about 2 weeks ago. He was furious when he read the FINAL NOTICE. I guess he didn't like how it was worded. He called back today and told them that he refuses to settle and won't be paying any money. He also "said" that he filed a police report because of the notice. He just wants to go to court with it.

January 6th - Guess what... Jon knows about this site! I received a call from a detective in Jon's town tonight. He was a nice guy and gave me the scoop on what's going on. Jon went to the station to complain about the website and his info being on there. I guess he didn't like his birthday being listed. He also told him that we had some issues and why. He said that he offered me $3000. after he did the work pictured above and that I refused it.

So in the end, the detective said that I should take his DOB off of the site. I can pretty much post anything else that I want but to leave the stuff that would lead to identity theft off. Not like anyone could get ahead in life with his identity anyway. He told me to let the courts take care of it. That is what I will be doing. I also have a lead to a past client that Jon owes money. I think we might be able to help each other!

Oh yeah, there is now another domain that mirrors this one. It is www.jondrewniak.com. Some other sites are getting ahold of this story so it's spreading pretty fast. People shouldn't have to worry about contractors that are just going to take the money and run.

January 11 - I was advised to not post all of the details of what I'm going to be doing legally. Want the element of surprise when the time comes!

February 5th - This site is turning up all over the internet. It's on many different message boards, in chat rooms and has recently been found at ratemyeverything.net. A report has also been filed at www.ripoffreport.com. The Auburn News will be running this story in their paper on February 7th. This is the newspaper in the contractor's home town and it will help warn alot of people in that area! I've found that two of contractor's phone numbers listed above are now disconnected. We are all making a difference here!

February 7th - This story is now in the Auburn News and the opening story on their website. This should save alot of homeowners in that area.

A report has also been added to Angie's List. Good reading on here! The website allows you to rate contractors and see what others have experienced. I plan on posting this story in every location that I can find! I want to make sure the public is well informed!

February 8th - I took a ride to Auburn to pick up a bunch of copies of this issue last night. I made sure the people in the stores knew what was going on. They wondered why I was buying more than one paper so I guess I had too! Some things that were noted in the article -

The contractor said that I had been trying to purchase the materials at a discounted price and when I couldn't do that I decided to call off the project. Nice excuse! He was quoted as saying "I had done some work at the property and one day out of the blue he called me and said he wanted his money back. It notes that this story has received an enormous amount of attention on the internet but crossed the line according to the contractor. Also quoted - "There's no reason for someone to go as psychotic as he did and post all of our info all over the internet". The contractor has received threatening letters and his wife has been harassed at work.

Everyone is free to contact him if they wish but I don't condone any type of threats being made. You can do what you want through! I guess he expects the clients that he screws to lay down and be walked on. That's not going to happen here!

February 12th - MAJOR UPDATE! I received an e-mail from a client that Jon recently took advantage of! This happened after my issue with him!!! She read the story in the Auburn News and then visited the site. I'm going to speak with her shortly and will then post another update. This guy operates under many names. The newest is -

February 13th - I spoke with the client from Auburn this morning. She actually lives down the street from Jon. Remember, he moved to Auburn with his wife the beginning of 2006 and he is already taking advantage of his neighbors. Click here to view a copy of the complain that she filed with the Better Business Bureau.

February 14th - Pictures have been added to the second client's story. There wasn't much work done for the money!!! I've also been in contact with the Attorney General. More details about that will be coming soon.

February 22nd - It looks like an update to this story will be posted in the paper soon! Check back next week for details!

February 27th - The Auburn News has printed a follow-up! This tells the story of what happened to Jon's neighbor. An intro to the story is now listed on their website. The complete story can be seen in the paper that comes out tomorrow. I spoke with my attorney today. He received a letter back from Jon's attorney. I won't go into all of the details here but it was noted "Mr Drewniak will make no further offer of settlement". He said that I declined the offer for $3000. when this all started.

March 1st - This week's issue of the Auburn News came out yesterday. Town residents now have a better idea of who not to hire. They used the picture of Jon that is at the top of this page in the story. They also have good tips listed about how to avoid fraudulent contractors.

March 19h - I recently filed a complain with the BBB. Jon's rebuttal stated that he offered me $3000. but he doesn't feel that I should receive that because of the steps that I am taking to tell this story and warn others so they don't become the next victim. He should have just done the right thing and paid me in the beginning. I wouldn't have been doing any of this but one of his other client's might have.

Seeing that he has a history of taking client's money and not completing the job, an ad is being run in his hometown paper to allow potential clients can make an informed decision -

March 21st - Looks like Jon now has a new plate # on his truck - M36 032. Alot of people know who he is so that won't matter!

March 24th - Some people have asked what kind of work Jon was going to do. He was supposed to purchase and install trees along the street and also do the same with bushes and plants around the house. The photos below show the work that was done by the "real contractor" that replaced Jon. Click on each pic for a larger view.

March 27th - The Auburn News is following up with another article! A local contractor read about what Jon did to his neighbor and he is coming to her aid! More info will be posted here in a few days. I'm going to continue with the ad in that paper next week. That will allow more people in town to be warned about what is going on.

March 29th - Steve Gallant, the owner of Steve's Lawn Service is going to take care of the job that Jon didn't complete for his neighbor in Auburn. This shows that there are good contractors out there. Maybe the bad ones will learn from this! Steve not only intends to finish the job but he's going to try to do it free of charge! The only thing the client will have to pay for is the rental of equipment to move large boulders if necessary. Steve believes he can complete the job in only one to two days. This is a much shorter time than what Jon quoted for the job! I'm going to see about printing the story here. It's currently on the front page of the current issue.

April 12th - Not much going on right now. I'm waiting for a court date and am working on spreading this story to more people so they won't become the next victim and also to help others learn from this. We shouldn't have to go through life not trusting people but everyone should be cautious. The other homeowner hasn't received a response to her demand notice so it looks like that will go to court also.

June 14th - It's been a long wait but there is a court date coming up the end of this month!

June 25th - Today was the first day in court. Jon was there with his wife and I was there with my attorney. It was just a quick 5 minute meeting to go over what is required and to set up a pre-trail hearing date. That will be on October 22nd. Jon didn't have any interest in possibly settling today. The neighbor in Auburn should have her wall completed by the company that took over the job. Updates for her story will be coming soon!

July 20th - The homeowner in Auburn now has a Small Claims Court date! That is September 12th! There will also be something else going on next week. Can't post that info yet! Check back the middle of the week for more details.

July 25th - The Auburn News has run another story that has to do with this "contractor" but... it shows that not all contractors are out to rip off their customers! Steve's Landscaping has taken care of the job for the Auburn resident and he did it for FREE!

September 12th - Jane had her day in court with this contractor today. More details will be posted soon! I'll be seeing him there next month.

October 4th - Jane received her decision from the court. The contractor (Jon Drewniak) is ordered to pay her just over for the work that he didn't do. I went to the courthouse that day to be a witness for a counter claim that he filed against her. He attempted to sue her for $2000. saying that we teamed up to put this website together and also had the Auburn News run stories about him. That couldn't be any further from the truth. This website went up on January 4th. The editor of the paper saw it and had a reporter contact me about the story. I didn't call them. That story allowed Jane to find out that she wasn't the only one being ripped off by this guy. The paper followed up with her story. The court found his claim to be useless. Jon also stated that I filed a BBB report against him before Jane. Not that it's a big deal but I pointed out that Jane filed hers first. I thought it would be a waste of time but then figured that I should do one after hearing that Jane filed. Jon persisted that I filed first and kept saying that I filed two reports against him with the BBB. One in Bristol Country and one in Worcester County. I had to point out that the complaint that I filed was done in Worcester County. The complain in Bristol County is from another homeowner that is unhappy with him!

December 12th: Just noticed that I didn't upload info after my last court date. There really isn't much to tell. The contractor wants to take this to a jury trail. So that will happen in February. Also, he's appealing to decision that ruled in favor of the other homeowner. That will also be going to trail.

NEW UPDATE!!!

May 15th 2008 - It's been a little while since I provided you with an about this loser. There has been alot of good stuff going on! The "contractor" tried to appeal the decision against him in Jane's case. That was a waste of time for him. I had an easy day in court on February 7th. The loser didn't show up. I testified and received a judgment for double damages plus attorney fees. Total is $13,522.90.

This website has gone a long way and the one thing that Jon should have done was.... just give me the money back when he didn't do the work. Seeing that he kept it, this site was started, the story spread across the web, his hometown paper picked up on the story, I found that he took money from one of his neighbors (Jane) and also came up with a number of other "victims". They are named in his current bankruptcy that he filed to try to get out of paying these debts. If Jon would have given me my money back, this website wouldn't exist and he'd have alot less headaches.

Clients listed in the bankruptcy -

B + M Kreppein - $51,000.00 (ouch!) - Work dispute- Claim against debtor for replacement of debtor's work.

D Swartz - $2,800.00 - Money owed to customer.

J Paquin - $1.111.00 - Judgment on small claim for unfinished work.

J Pound - $3,500.00 - Claim for unfinished work.

R Pound - $1,500.00 - Money owed for unfinished work.

S. Fitzmaurice - $5,000.00 - Work dispute. Money owed for materials

T. Byrne - $13,522.00 - Judgment

W. Mueller - $4,000.00 - Judgment on claim

On top of this, the "contractor" ( I use this term very loosely) also filed for bankruptcy in 1999. He had another victim listed on there for about $5000.00. There is definitely a trend here! Plus, we have found that taxes haven't been filed for many years so this is going to get very interesting. I'm not going to let all of the cats out of the bag so more updates will be posted after this happen. The next important date coming up is in mid- June. Another update will be posted after that.

I'd like to thank everyone for the kind words and informative e-mails that they have been sending. This site is making a difference! Please pass it along to everyone that you know. It might helps others not be ripped off by this contractor or will at least give them a "heads up" so they know to be more careful when they hire someone to do home improvement and landscape work.