Contractor gets $2,500 deposit then ignores Cape Coral clients

A couple is asking the police for help after their contractor took their money then, missed appointments, and stopped responding to their calls in Cape Coral.

When WINK News first spoke with Luis Hernandez on Tuesday morning, he stated he had nothing to say about the allegations. Later in the afternoon, Hernandez changed his mind and claimed there was a delay in getting the materials and miscommunication with the family.

Unsurprisingly, pool cages didn’t put up a good fight against Hurricane Ian. In Cape Coral, the strong winds created a mess around the Snyder family home. After the storm, their insurance company called the cage a total loss.

“I did not have it insured for a complete loss. So we thought we’d just do the repairs on it,” Patti Snyder said.

Hernandez enters the picture when they asked friends and family for contractor recommendations. He came by the home and gave the family an estimate on repairs.

“His estimate was $5,200 to repair it and restrain it,” Chuck Snyder said.

Chuck told WINK News he would need seven weeks to finish the job and was hired immediately. The Snyders gave Hernandez a $2,500 check on December 14 as a deposit. Later, Hernandez cashed the check but was never heard from after that.

“I kept texting on and off, and he kept putting me off. Oh, I’ll be there on a Monday. He didn’t show,” Patti said. “And then he said he had COVID. And then he said that, oh, I’ll be there on Friday.”

After four missed appointments, the Snyders had enough. Monday, they filed a police report asking to press charges for services not provided.

“I never expect to get my money back,” Chuck said.

Regardless, they’re going public and said to protect their neighbors and others from making the same mistake.

The Snyders told WINK News Hernandez returned the $2,500 deposit Tuesday afternoon.