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Central Illinois contractor accused of defrauding customers
By Kurt Erickson
kurt.erickson@lee.net
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SPRINGFIELD -- A Logan County businessman stands accused of defrauding seven Central Illinois residents who hired him for driveway repairs and home remodeling projects.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office filed the suit against Jeff Lovins of Lovins Masonry in Beason Thursday, saying he bilked customers by allegedly performing substandard work or doing no work at all.

The legal action was among six similar suits filed in various parts of the state Thursday against contractors.

In a statement, Madigan said problems with contractors are not uncommon.

“Complaints about home repair, remodeling and construction consistently rank among the top consumer complaints that my office receives each year, especially during the summer months,” Madigan said. “Consumers need to make sure they are informed and ask the right questions before choosing a contractor so that they can avoid falling victim to the types of companies we have sued today.”

The suit against Lovins seeks a permanent injunction preventing him from engaging in the home repair trade. It also seeks restitution to customers, a civil penalty of $50,000 per defendant, additional penalties of $50,000 for each act committed with intent to defraud and an additional $10,000 for each act committed against a senior citizen, and costs.

Two of the people named in the suit against Lovins are senior citizens.

The suit, which was filed in McLean County, outlines problems that seven customers had with Lovins dating to 2000.

In one instance, he is alleged to have collected $2,700 for work on a driveway. The customer complained about the finished product, but has not been able to resolve the situation with Lovins.

In another case, Lovins is alleged to have accepted a downpayment of $1,200 for concrete work, but never completed the job.

Attempts to reach Lovins were not successful Thursday. The telephone number listed at the Beason business was not working.

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Reader comments on this story - 1 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

cj wrote on Jul 24, 2008 9:08 PM:

" If these alligations are correct, I hope that he gets everything he deserves. We added on to our house and we were totally screwed over by a local contractor. Or at least he calls himself a general contractor. He took us for 3x the amount. The bad thing was we paid him hourly instead of by the job. Big mistake. We lived in the house while we remodeled. We couldn't really quit paying because we needed to have a place to live. To anyone considering remodeling or adding on, please take my advise and be very cautious. There are alot of scammers out there, even the ones you think that you can trust. "
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