It’s common to make renovations on your home. While 35% of remodeling jobs involve the entire home, most only focus on one or two areas. Yet one Wisconsin couple hired a contractor to do work on their gutters and deck before the winter weather hit, but unfortunately did not get what they paid for.
ON July 22, Richard Hunn of Waukesha made his second payment to Thomas Krivitz, owner of TK Improvements, for the services he requested. The contract stated that Krivitz was to start the project in 15 to 20 days, and would finish within 10 days. After receiving a total of $11,400 from Hunn, Krivitz did not return to the job site.
An investigation by Waukesha Police began on Sept. 16 to address the possibility of contractor theft and fraud, and what they found was astonishing.
During their investigation, the police found that Krivitz had spent $350,000 while gambling. After learning this, the police launched a further investigation to find out if the contractor had duped other victims as well. So far, police know of three victims and they expect more to come forward soon.
Prior to hiring TK Improvements, Hunn said that he’d researched the company with the Better Business Bureau, as well as checked out its references.
The company is not accredited with the BBB, but it does hold a B+ rating.
While he didn’t find anything incriminating, Hunn expresses remorse for not backing out sooner.
“I should have caught it a lot sooner,” said Hunn. “[Krivitz] was just making things up as he went along.”
Hunn does not anticipate getting any of his money back, but hopes that by launching the investigation and paving the way for more victims to come forward, no one else will suffer the same fate that he and his wife have. In the meantime, he’s still worried about having his deck and gutters fixed.
“I’m stuck now trying to find somebody else to finish this job before winter hopefully,” said Hunn.
Thomas Krivitz has been charged with theft by contractor, a felony, and is expected back in Waukesha County Court at the end of October.
Waukesha County Police are still looking for additional information about Krivitz as well as any additional victims. If you have any leads, please call Detective Tom Casey at 262-524-3924.