Colorado Springs contractor says he lost woman's money as she shares a warning

A woman reached out to News5 as she waits for a contractor to fulfill his promise of returning her money after he says he lost it to someone else.

Colorado Springs contractor says he lost woman's money as she shares a warning

By: Tony Keith

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — It was a deal that was too good to be true, and now a Colorado Springs woman is sharing a warning with others.

Wendy Spillar is a single mom who has a teenage daughter with special needs. In April, she made the move to a home in Colorado Springs while she was in the process of selling a house she owned in Peyton, when she heard a knock at her door. A man was soliciting his services as an arborist. They eventually got on the topic of her home for sale in Peyton, which had a septic problem. Wendy needed to replace the leach field and bring it to code. She was originally quoted $30,000 by another company, but the man who came to her door said he could do it for $15,000.

"I respect people who take care of their own," Wendy recalled what the man said to her, believing he was doing her a favor by taking on the job. "I am 51 and I still have problems ignoring my gut feeling. Those gut feelings are there for a reason. They're instinctual, and I had this gut feeling about this guy, and I ignored it because I wanted to believe I could save $15,000. I wanted to believe it."

The man at the door was Lionel Gendron. He claimed to run the business "Get Er Done Gendron Tree Service." Wendy says she started by paying the first half up front, expecting the job to be completed quickly, and signed over a check for $7,500. Wendy says Lionel name-dropped a reputable business he would be working with, including Mckibben Excavating. News5 contacted Mckibben Excavating and learned Lionel had reached out to them, but they were unable to execute the work at the price Lionel was offering.

Wendy says Lionel cashed the check in 10 minutes, and the work on the Peyton property never started.

News5 spoke with Lionel on the phone, and he claims he turned to someone else to help with the project, and he paid them more than $6,000 to help. Lionel didn't have a receipt, he didn't have a phone number, and he wasn't sure what the name of the company he turned to was. Lionel tells News5, "I made a mistake by paying somebody that was out to [get] me." Lionel claims that he will do whatever he has to in order to make it right. He did give $1,200 of Wendy's money back, but there's no timeline on when Wendy could see the rest of her money.

Wendy shared text conversations she had with Lionel, in which Lionel appears to go back and forth from saying he will make things right to getting upset at Wendy for wanting her money back. At one point, Wendy says the communication stopped. Wendy tried to report the case to law enforcement, but was informed this was a civil matter, and that's when Wendy reached out to News5.

"Law enforcement and the DA can't always get your money back," Wendy said as a message to News5 viewers. "So you need to take care of yourself. You need to learn how not to ignore your gut feelings. Those are there for a reason."

Lionel had originally agreed to do an interview with News5 and said he would set something up on Tuesday of this week, but after multiple calls leading to a voicemail box that wasn't set up, or the phone continuously ringing Tuesday morning, Lionel didn't text back until 1 a.m. on Wednesday.

News5 plans to keep contact with both Lionel and Wendy to see if he will fulfill his promise of getting her money back. Wendy was able to sell her property in Peyton, but is still responsible for the leach field issue on top of the fact she is down more than $6,000.

It is worth noting Lionel has a long criminal history, including convictions for drug charges, DUI and burglary. Lionel admitted he has a rough history, but says he is also working to do better. He also has an upcoming sentencing for a theft case. According to arrest papers obtained by News5, Lionel allegedly stole two trailers, but Lionel says he bought those trailers from someone. Lionel was unable to provide any contact information for the person he says he bought the trailers from.

RED FLAGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

This incident is a reminder for anyone looking to hire someone for a home improvement project to be on the lookout for certain red flags. Lionel told News5 he doesn't plan on continuing to run his business, but there were signs he likely wasn't able to complete the work:

1. The price was "too good to be true." Lionel offered to complete the work at half the cost of another business. When looking to hire a contractor, it is to your advantage to get multiple quotes and compare not just the price, but what is being offered.

2. Lionel's business didn't have a reputable website that was easy to discover in a quick internet search. The only web presence for "Get er done Gendron Tree Service" is a Nextdoor page and a mention in a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to Lionel. There were no reviews on the Nextdoor page. The public is encouraged to do their own research on a contractor and look over both the positive and negative reviews.

3. Lionel's business was once registered with the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, but it expired in 2021. While anyone has the ability to register a business with the Colorado Secretary of State, allowing his business registry to expire shows a lack of care and attention to his business. The public can also contact their local building department to verify if a contractor is licensed to do work in their area.

4. Not having a signed contract. While Wendy received a receipt from Lionel with some of the details, it didn't include specifics on deadlines, scope of work, warranties, materials, or any other important details to complete a job that costs thousands of dollars to complete.

The Better Business Bureau has a list of 10 hiring mistakes when looking for a contractor. Click here for that resource.

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