Local roofing company now banned from Kansas, fined $500K for ‘deceptive acts’
By Sydney Ferguson
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WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — A local roofing contractor is now banned from doing business in the state of Kansas until he pays back over half a million dollars after being found guilty of 29 violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
The first time KAKE reported on the business practices of Tyler Sims and Flint Hills Roofing Company was April of last year, when local High School Teacher Rachel Shellhammer reached out to say she worried she’d been scammed.
Shellhammer’s home was left uncomplete 9-months after hiring Sims to replace her roofing and siding.
Saturday, Tammy Blunt shared a similar story to Shellhammer’s about Sims and his company.
“Those first couple weeks, he was helping,” said Blunt. “But it just became a nightmare from there.”
A storage building on Blunt’s property still hasn’t been fixed in the two years since it was hit by a tornado. Blunt hired Sims to replace three sides of the 45 by 60 storage building, repair the roof, and replace the windows.
Despite promising to get it done, Blunt says Sims would frequently disappear. The little bit of work he did do was not up to code and the shingles used on the roof don’t match what insurance approved — they’re so heavy they’re now causing her storage unit to collapse.
“I called consumer protection, and obviously, I was not the first one that had contacted them, and after that, it just started rolling forward,” said Blunt.
Blunt is one of three people named in a judgment secured by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office against Sims on February 3 for “unconscionable and deceptive acts.”
He was found guilty of 28 violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, which Daryn Keeter of Keeter Roofing and Remodeling was happy to hear.
“I was just elated that they finally got the guy. I was worried that, you know, he was going to be a slap on the wrist, because a lot of damage had been done here,” said Keeter.
Keeter and his company stepped forward to fix Shellhammer’s home for free after our previous reporting. He says he sees cases like this all the time, though not as severe, and it can all be blamed on a lack of regulation in the construction industry.
“Our local code enforcement department is only inspecting for ventilation. That’s it. They’re not inspecting to see if the jobs are done right,” said Keeter. “Who is the homeowner going to get to come over to make sure this is done right?”
Sims must now pay $470,000 in fines and $36,558.40 in restitution. Of that, $25,000 in restitution will go to Blunt.
“It’s been a challenge. Can’t get a hold of him. We don’t know where he is,” said Blunt. “If he doesn’t have any money, I don’t know where– I don’t know where that’s going to land.”
Until he pays the money back, Sims is banned from doing business in the state of Kansas. Blunt calls it a step in the right direction, but it still leaves her to fix her own storage unit when she’s already battling health issues.
“I just need to focus on myself getting healthy, and this building getting done by May 18,” said Blunt. “You only have two years to get the building finished, and then the insurance claim is closed and there’s no more money.”
She says a specific agency dedicated to helping the consumer might’ve helped her avoid all of this. Keeter says it’s something homeowners could definitely benefit from, but until one is formed, he encourages homeowners to follow a few tips.
His first is to be patient, especially when many contractors try to reach out within hours of weather events.
“You look up and you see them circling, and you think they’re all eagles, but they’re mostly buzzards,” said Keeter.
He says most structures can afford to wait after a storm, while homeowners do their best to vet who they plan to hire. Keeter says to check Google reviews, make sure the company is registered with the state of Kansas, and don’t be scared to ask for a bad reference.
“Everybody’s going to put their best foot forward. Ask them, ‘give us a job that went really wrong,'” said Keeter. “If you talk to my consumers where we’ve made big mistakes, they will tell you, yes, they messed up really bad, but they came and fixed it and made it right.”
Still, Blunt says the lack of regulation Keeter mentioned leads her to worry Sims will just take his scam to another state.
“He needs to be in prison, and that’s where I stand,” said Blunt. “If he doesn’t go to prison, all he’s going to do is do this again.”
We reached out to Tyler Sims for comment, but did not get a response.
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