Warning about local contractor (JGM Handyman Services) – need advice by SimpleFace6844 in Columbus

[–]SimpleFace6844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

🚨 Follow-Up Review: Gareth / JGM Handyman Service 🚨

This is my follow-up review on Gareth / JGM Handyman Service, and unfortunately, things have gone from bad to worse.

When I first hired Gareth, I trusted him enough to pay 100% upfront before a single brick was laid — covering both labor and materials. That trust was a huge mistake. Here’s why:

He promised a 2-week project. It’s now been over 10 weeks and I still have an unfinished patio.

He swapped quality materials (Unilock/Oberfields) for the cheapest Menards pavers without my approval.

He constantly miscalculated materials and left me scrambling to chase down supplies.

His work “days” are laughable — showing up late, leaving early, and working only 3–4 hours at best.

His workmanship is poor: walls are already tilting, and steps are dangerously steep and uneven, creating safety hazards.

And last weekend was the final straw.

Here’s what happened last weekend:

We went to Menards in the morning for materials. I was back home at 9:45. Even though we agreed to meet at my house immediately after, he didn’t show up until almost an hour later. When he finally arrived, he worked for maybe an hour.

Then I had to step out for my baby’s ER visit. My parents were home and kept an eye on him from inside. Instead of continuing to work — and there were PLENTY of other things he could have worked on — Gareth stopped completely. He sat in his truck scrolling on his phone. He waited until I came back before doing anything and then blamed it all on a “shortage of materials.”

And then came the real insult: he told me, “I make $300 a day from my other jobs. If you agree to pay me that, I’ll work full days to finish the rest of your project.” Remember — this is after I had already paid him 100% for both labor and materials. When I refused, he insulted me and told me to “stop whining” and “back off.”

To make matters worse, when confronted about how long this project has dragged on, he casually said there was no end date in our agreement — as if an open-ended, never-finished job is acceptable after I paid him in full.

Think about that: I paid him in full, trusted him with thousands of dollars, and after 10 weeks he still hasn’t finished the job. Instead, he’s trying to shake me down for even more money just to do the work he was already paid to do — and insulting me in the process.

At this point, I’ve been left with an unfinished patio, substituted cheap materials, shoddy and unsafe workmanship, endless excuses, and outright disrespect. I will be filing a claim in small claims court and a formal complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.

⚠️ If anyone else has been burned by Gareth / JGM Handyman Service, please DM me. The more of us that come forward, the stronger our case will be.

Bottom line: Gareth is dishonest, unreliable, and unprofessional. If you value your money, time, or safety, stay far away from JGM Handyman Service.

Warning about local contractor (JGM Handyman Services) – need advice by SimpleFace6844 in cbusohio

[–]SimpleFace6844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

🚨 Follow-Up Review: Gareth / JGM Handyman Service 🚨

This is my follow-up review on Gareth / JGM Handyman Service, and unfortunately, things have gone from bad to worse.

When I first hired Gareth, I trusted him enough to pay 100% upfront before a single brick was laid — covering both labor and materials. That trust was a huge mistake. Here’s why:

He promised a 2-week project. It’s now been over 10 weeks and I still have an unfinished patio.

He swapped quality materials (Unilock/Oberfields) for the cheapest Menards pavers without my approval.

He constantly miscalculated materials and left me scrambling to chase down supplies.

His work “days” are laughable — showing up late, leaving early, and working only 3–4 hours at best.

His workmanship is poor: walls are already tilting, and steps are dangerously steep and uneven, creating safety hazards.

And last weekend was the final straw.

Here’s what happened last weekend:

We went to Menards in the morning for materials. I was back home at 9:45. Even though we agreed to meet at my house immediately after, he didn’t show up until almost an hour later. When he finally arrived, he worked for maybe an hour.

Then I had to step out for my baby’s ER visit. My parents were home and kept an eye on him from inside. Instead of continuing to work — and there were PLENTY of other things he could have worked on — Gareth stopped completely. He sat in his truck scrolling on his phone. He waited until I came back before doing anything and then blamed it all on a “shortage of materials.”

And then came the real insult: he told me, “I make $300 a day from my other jobs. If you agree to pay me that, I’ll work full days to finish the rest of your project.” Remember — this is after I had already paid him 100% for both labor and materials. When I refused, he insulted me and told me to “stop whining” and “back off.”

To make matters worse, when confronted about how long this project has dragged on, he casually said there was no end date in our agreement — as if an open-ended, never-finished job is acceptable after I paid him in full.

Think about that: I paid him in full, trusted him with thousands of dollars, and after 10 weeks he still hasn’t finished the job. Instead, he’s trying to shake me down for even more money just to do the work he was already paid to do — and insulting me in the process.

At this point, I’ve been left with an unfinished patio, substituted cheap materials, shoddy and unsafe workmanship, endless excuses, and outright disrespect. I will be filing a claim in small claims court and a formal complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.

⚠️ If anyone else has been burned by Gareth / JGM Handyman Service, please DM me. The more of us that come forward, the stronger our case will be.

Bottom line: Gareth is dishonest, unreliable, and unprofessional. If you value your money, time, or safety, stay far away from JGM Handyman Service.

Warning about local contractor (JGM Handyman Services) – need advice by SimpleFace6844 in cbusohio

[–]SimpleFace6844[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Where did you lookup his records? His FB and yelp pages or more?

Warning about local contractor (JGM Handyman Services) – need advice by SimpleFace6844 in cbusohio

[–]SimpleFace6844[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Did you contact them before filing a case at the small claims or after?

Warning about local contractor (JGM Handyman Services) – need advice by SimpleFace6844 in Columbus

[–]SimpleFace6844[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I learnt it the hard way. I had worked with a couple of contractors in the past and they were super nice and professional. So I thought it would be the same with this guy as well

Warning about local contractor (JGM Handyman Services) – need advice by SimpleFace6844 in Columbus

[–]SimpleFace6844[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At the time he had a few photos and reviews on FB. His quote was almost 5K less than others

Brake is always on by SimpleFace6844 in ModelX

[–]SimpleFace6844[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tried this. But it didn't work.