An Ontario woman's unfinished kitchen cost her $100,000

A woman from Ontario, after paying a contractor to remodel her dream kitchen, which was never done, spent over $100,000. Mary Austin, a Toronto resident, told CTV: "I've been in this house for 20 years, and I've never liked my kitchen, and I wanted something better, but I should have never trusted this man."
Austin found a brochure from a company in her mailbox that advertised kitchen remodeling, which prompted her to contact them in August 2021. The company, Ontario Certified Contractors and Builders, whose name was on the brochure, took an initial payment of $18,000 from Austin. However, according to Austin, they still hadn't started the work seven months later.
Austin explained that the owner of the company always pressured her to make larger payments before the work even began. He asked for $5,000, then $25,000, and later $16,000, repeatedly. But the contractors who came for the foundation work and framing her house hadn't been paid, which led them to abandon the project.
According to Austin, the company told her that she needed to purchase all the necessary kitchen appliances as soon as possible, or they might not be available. However, after she made her final payment, which amounted to nearly $20,000, nobody showed up to do the kitchen work. The new refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher she had purchased had been sitting unused in her hallway and living room since the previous year.
Austin stated, "I gave him $107,000, but I made a big mistake, and it cost me a lot because I took a loan that I have to pay interest on. I feel depressed. I feel like I've been taken advantage of. I feel like a fool for trusting that man." The company's website is no longer accessible, and they do not answer phone calls.

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