I hired a painter who advertises in The Advocate, he came out and gave me an estimate to paint the inside of my house on 7/31/07. He said he was a retired fireman and went on to complain about illegals taking a lot of the work from him and that his business was suffering. I did not ask for references and he did not offer any. I signed the contract and paid half down. The contract reads as follows."Repair Bathroom ceiling and Hall Cracks. Caulk all seams. Cover wallpaper & texture. Paint 2 coats all rooms and closets. Paint doors and trim. Paint 2 ceilings". I wanted to get everything finished by August 10 as I was going to be out of town for 2 weeks.

He started work on August 1, 2007 and got some of the closets painted and primed the bedroom walls. August 2 he said he had to leave at 11 am as his dog ate his blood pressure medicine and he had to pick up a new prescription at the drug store and would be back. He never came back that day or called. He showed up the next day and said he got a really bad nose bleed, got lightheaded and was taken to the hospital. On August 3 he finished all but one closet that he removed an old electrical box from the wall and repaired the hole, did repair work in the master bath ceiling, painted 2 of the bedrooms and primed the living room. Monday August 6, he painted the living room. As he was leaving he gave me a roll of blue tape and said to mark any areas that he needed to go over.

He asked if he could have a check for $250.00 to buy additional supplies to take off the wallpaper in my kitchen. I gave him a check. That was the last I saw of him. He left all his tools, drop cloths etc in my garage.

I left several messages over the next few days, he did not return any of my calls. I left for my trip on August 12 and returned on August 26.

I really feel I have been taken advantage of, I do not want this man to get away with this scam. He was paid for two thirds of the job and completed one third. My home is still waiting to be finished I am completely disheartened by his behavior and it is difficult to go about looking for someone I can trust to finish the work.

HELP!!! This is my first home, I moved to Dallas recently to be near my daughter and grandchildren after my husband passed away.