DELMARVA- Dozens of people across Sussex County have claimed to have had projects with a company called Heron Creek Landscaping. Those people say photos like of the pool above show that work began in their yards for home improvements but were never finished, even years later.
CoastTV spoke with three different couples who say they filed a complaint about the company with the Delaware Department of Justice and said they are out hundreds of thousands of dollars. The department said it cannot confirm, deny, or discuss specific investigations, but told CoastTV there are hundreds of home improvement complaints.
"During 2023, we got about 339 complaints, which is a good amount of complaints and home improvement fraud." said Marion Quirk, Director of Consumer Protection, "leaves people in quite a bad situation because ultimately you hire somebody to do work. They either don't do it or they leave your home worse than it was."
CoastTV spoke with three different couples who say they filed a complaint about the company with the Delaware Department of Justice and said they are out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
CoastTV did reach out to the the owner of Heron Creek Landscaping's owner's attorney, but denied to comment at this time.
Russell Dietz, who lives in Dagsboro, is a part one of the three couples who filed a complaint against the company. Dietz said he paid for the project with money he earned as a firefighter on 9/11 and now worries he won't get his money back.
"It's disheartening that you can be down at 9/11 and do the right thing or try to do the right thing for your brother firemen and the people that were down there, and then have somebody come and take that from you." said Dietz.
Dietz said a new contractor is now working on the project in his yard, but like other's who spoke with CoastTV, said it will cost even more money to fix what has been started.
Charles Marino and Alan Berman claimed to have signed their contract in July 2022. The pool, pictured above, is still under construction. Courtesy of Alan Berman and Charles Marino.
Charles Marino and Alan Berman claimed to have signed their contract in July 2022. The pool, pictured above, is still under construction.
"I don't want to even see it. It's been that kind of crazy. Even the house, it needed to be power washed - because there's dust and it's a mess." said Berman.
The Delaware Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Unit urges anyone who believes they are a victim of fraud to file a complaint here. The DOJ also recommends looking for a service register with the Better Business Bureau.