by Alex Lloyd Gross
Nov 12, 2022
Good contractors are very hard to find. Some don’t show up, others go over their estimate and still others are downright thieves. Joseph E. Collopy of Lansdale was all of the above and now he is doing to jail for it, police said.
The work on the project was to be completed by April, but Collopy did not begin work until the end of April. After work began, Collopy showed up only sporadically and performed erratically, the victim said.
Collopy operated Macintosh Construction Company and Collopy Construction Inc. out of his Montgomery County home. The insurance listed on his state Home Improvement Contractor’s registration expired in January 2018, That fact did not stop him from still running a business and soliciting work. In January 2019, he met with a customer in Warrington Bucks County and agreed to do a kitchen and basement upgrade for $30,700.
The work on the project was to be completed by April, but Collopy did not begin work until the end of April. After work began, Collopy showed up only sporadically and performed erratically, the victim said. Collopy was able to get more money from the customer and even agreed to sell him a grill for $1000.. The grill, when delivered was only worth $119.00, according to court documents.
When work conditions did not improve, the victim fired Collopy in September 2019 and asked for a refund. Collopy begged for a second chance and agreed to sign a new contract that all work would be finished by the end of October, or he would issue a full refund. Collopy worked for two weeks, then stopped showing up to the house to complete the project. Collopy returned a few more times after the victim’s girlfriend texted him, but there were multiple issues with the materials Collopy used, which led to even more damage to the home.