Call Kurtis: $100 Down For A Gate She Never Got

A retired flight attendant put $100 down for a custom-made iron gate she never received. When she couldn't get her money back, she called Kurtis Ming.

Gwen Khoury wanted the gate to keep her dogs from escaping her Rocklin home.

"They mean the world to me. They're like my children," says Gwen.

Enjoying retirement, she is raising two golden doodles she hopes to train as therapy dogs. Keeping the rambunctious puppies in line can be difficult.

"One time they got out and they ran out and I was in the middle of the street stopping traffic," recalls Gwen.

She decided an iron gate on her front porch was the solution. In June she hired FusionCor, a Rancho Cordova welding shop. She says the owner, Edward Seichey, took $100 cash up front for the $400 dollar job.

"He said it would take two weeks to build the gate and bring it over and install it," says Gwen.

But Gwen says she never got her gate, and now she wants her money back.

"He's cheating and stealing," Gwen says.

We couldn't find a contractor's license for FusionCor or Seichey, but one isn't needed for Gwen's job.

A state license is required for jobs $500 or more, however, hiring someone with a license comes with consumer protections like a contractor's bond.

"That's $12,500 of coverage. So if something does go wrong on the project ... you can collect on that," says Venus Stromberg of the California Contractors State License Board.
And if you file a complaint, the state says licensed contractors are often more motivated to fix problems.

"A lot of times they don't want us to take discipline on the license, so they're going to be happy to come to the table and work with the consumers," says Stromberg.

We stopped by the FusionCor's Rancho Cordova address a few weeks ago, but the sign on the door said "on location/installation. Sorry we missed you."

After three calls, Seichey got back to us, saying FusionCor is out of business. He claimed he refunded Gwen already. But Gwen says she never got her money back. Seichey didn't return our follow-up call. Gwen feels she was deceived.

"Nice post cards, pretty gates... doesn't mean it's a good business. Do your research," says Gwen.

Even though Seichey does not have a license, the state says FusionCor could not have asked for more than 10 percent down, which would've been $40 in this case.