JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two local homeowners say they paid a Jacksonville contractor tens of thousands of dollars for work he never finished. They want him held accountable so it does not happen to anyone else.
Susan Setser said she paid Sid Baskin, owner of BHI Construction and Custom Windows USA, $62,000 to replace windows and remodel her Jacksonville home.
"He was really, honestly, Johnny on the spot. He had good ideas and he sounded like he knew what he was talking about," she explained about when she met him to get a quote to replace the windows in her home near San Marco.
See Oct. 16 update to Setser's complaint against Baskin
She found his name in an advertisement in TheHomeMag, a home improvement magazine.
"[The advertisement] looked legitimate. It has the Better Business Bureau seal and a license number," she said.
Still, to make sure she was getting the best price, she called two other window installers for quotes. She said all three were similar, so she decided to hire Baskin -- since he was also a licensed contractor and could replace the A/C system, flooring and electrical wiring.
"It just made sense," she explained.
She has copies of the contracts he signed along with three checks she wrote Baskin's company totaling $50,000.
Work began last year, but stopped abruptly after the electrician knocked on her door telling her he had not been paid in three weeks.
"He said Baskin told them that I didn't want to write them a check. I was floored because I knew how much money I had paid," said Setser.
When she called Baskin, she said he told her, "I'll take care of it." But, more than eight months later, that has not happened.
"I mean really nothing that makes sense comes out of his mouth. If his lips are moving, he's lying," Setser said.
Setser called police, hoping they might be able to arrest Baskin. She said the officer told her he doubts the State Attorney's Office will charge Sid Baskin, suggesting it is a civil matter and not a criminal case.
'In [the police officer's] seven years of doing this, he said he didn't really think that the State Attorney would be very interested in pursuing that. That didn't make sense to me because if you walk into the bank, and rob a bank, and you run off with $42,000, I think that would be something someone would care about," Setser told the I-TEAM.
She said she has yet to receive any follow up call from the officer or from the State Attorney's Office. Sid Baskin is not charged with any criminal wrongdoing.
With a dumpster still sitting in her yard, Setser then filed a complaint with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). That was at least two months ago.
"Someone there [DBPR] called me, I missed the call. I called her back four times since and still no return call," said Setser, who is frustrated that Baskin's license to work as a contractor is still active. "I'm still wondering how it is that you can have a license to work which continues to put you in a position where you can continue to rip people off."
The I-TEAM tried to get some answers from the DBPR as to why it is taking so long. Kathleen Keenan, Deputy Director of Communications, told us under state statute, the department cannot confirm or deny the existence of any complaints or investigations against licensed professionals until 10 days after probable cause has been found.
However, on the same day we called DBPR, Setser said she received a return call from an investigator and is now providing the department with the information it says it needs to move forward with her complaint.
A portable toilet, along with that dumpster, still remain at Setser's home. Electrical wires are sticking out of holes in the walls of the dumpster and A/C ducts are laying on the floor of unfinished rooms.
"I have $42,000 still unaccounted for and no windows," she said.
Setser now has to find -- and pay -- someone else to do the work.
TheHomeMag has now cut ties with Sid Baskin and told the I-TEAM, "We strive to ensure that all advertisers are not only appropriately licensed and insured, but want every one of them to be incredibly skilled."
Local contractor previously in trouble
The I-TEAM discovered a Ponte Vedra Beach couple also paid Sid Baskin, owner of BHI Construction and Custom Windows USA, to remodel their home in 2009, and he did not finish all of the work either. The St. Johns County couple does not want their name made public, telling us they are afraid of possible retribution. But, they told us over the phone that Baskin was a smooth talker who earned their trust.
They told us they paid Baskin more than $150,000 and also signed a contract for the work. They were told he would need four months to complete the job, but it took two years and it had to be finished by another contractor.
They said they were "swindled" out of $49,742 in work never completed and expenses. They also wanted Baskin arrested, but said they were told it was a civil matter. However, that changed when they discovered Baskin himself cashed a $10,000 check that was written to a wood supplier. He was charged with forgery and grand theft, but agreed to pay restitution to avoid prosecution.
According to court documents, while Baskin did repay the $10,000 in monthly installments, he still has not paid back another $20,039 owed to the couple.
"He was scheming to defraud, and we were two vulnerable senior citizens," the couple wrote in court documents.
Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation was notified about Baskin's prosecution and restitution order in 2013, but the Deputy Director of Communications told the I-TEAM the complaint is still in analyst review because it was never completed by the claimant. Baskin's license as a contractor is still active.
Subcontractor not paid
"I finished the job and he looked at me and he said the check is in the mail and I said great, and I expected to see it and never did," said Robert Bramuchi, owner of Bramuchi Acoustical Ceilings.
He told the I-TEAM Sid Baskin hired him to replace ceilings inside a unit at the Roosevelt Commerce Center on the Westside last year.
"It was a hand shake job, as it always has been with him. I'd never had a problem with him before," said Bramuchi.
But now, he said he's out $2,200 dollars.
Bramuchi is suing Baskin, who he said never showed up for the first court hearing.
Local contractor facing several lawsuits
The I-TEAM also learned, Sid Baskin is being sued for $10,395 by the owner of The Chariot at Eastpark office building off St. Johns Bluff Road on the Southside of Jacksonville. According to court documents, Baskin entered into a rental agreement last July for 60 months, but failed to pay rent and other charges for the office space.
Susan Setser is now suing Baskin too, for the $42,000 she paid him for work that was never completed.
We tried to get some answers from Sid Baskin and give him a chance to explain. We found him outside his home, but all he told us was "no comment."
OCT. 16 UPDATE: Setser received a letter from the state earlier this month notifying her that the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations has filed a formal administrative complaint against Baskin. If DBPR finds he violated state rules, he could lose his license. If he does not dispute the charges, that punishment could come sooner.
Protecting yourself and your money
Susan Setser regrets she didn't do a background check on Sid Baskin before she paid him.
She said, "It's not enough to just know that it looks like they have a Better Business Bureau Endorsement. It's not OK to just know that they have an actual valid license. You have to run a background check because if I had done that, nowhere in a million years would this have happened."
Tom Stephens, president of the Better Business Bureau of Northeast Florida, suggests you always Google a person or company's name. If Setser had done this, she could have found a notice from the BBB explaining Baskin's companies are not accredited members of the organization.
It's important not to assume that an advertisement has been vetted by an advertiser or home magazine.
3 additional steps to protect yourself
There are three additional steps you can take to protect yourself when hiring a company or contractor:
The I-TEAM wants to hear from you. If you know of any contractors who you think are ripping people off, email us at ITEAM@news4jax.com or call 479-NEWS.