‘He took everything’: Consumer claims contractor took thousands and never finished the job

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orange County woman paid a local business owner thousands of dollars to renovate her kitchen and claims he’s now abandoned the job.

“This is where I wash my dishes,” said Romulda Titus as she showed Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal around her back yard. She now uses an outside hose to get her dishes clean.

Titus added, “And it’s not something that you do for a week or two, it’s almost five months now.”

That’s because inside the home, her kitchen sink is missing and the single mother of two has no running water in the kitchen. The new countertops she paid for haven’t arrived and she said even the cabinets she has installed aren’t the right cabinets.

“I’m supposed to have the normal cabinet in here (at the bottom) and then the top is in glass,” she said.

The entire thing is a disaster she blames on Manuel Lugo, who she hired to renovate after she found water damage from a leaky pipe.

Titus told the Action 9 team, “I didn’t think buying a cabinet will be such a nightmare for me. Right now, I can’t even sleep at night.”

Romulda Titus saw the ad for Next Day Cabinets on Facebook. After meeting with Manuel Lugo, she signed a contract and over time paid nearly $9000. The work that was supposed to be completed in mid-April remains unfinished.

The problem has had a tremendous impact on Titus and her two children. With no kitchen, her homeowners’ insurance wasn’t renewed and she’s paying more for forced insurance through her mortgage company. She also said she’s constantly paying more money for her kids to eat out when she can afford it.

“I just go to work with no food. I spend the day with a cup of coffee,” she said.

She’s not the only one with problems. Manuel Lugo doesn’t appear to have a current contractor’s license in Florida. He’s been arrested for contracting without a license in Orange and Volusia counties. He’s also currently facing a charge of scheme to defraud for a Polk County case.

In two Orange County cases, he pleaded no contest and was ordered to pay thousands of dollars in restitution.

He and/or his old business, The Kitchen and Closet Company LLC have also been sued and accused of taking people’s money, but not completing the work. In one Orange County lawsuit, he was ordered to pay nearly $14,000 to his victims.

Now, Romulda Titus has filed a police report and still regrets the day she hired him.

“I want my peace, but I can’t have a peace like that, because he took everything that I have. I have no money,” Titus said.

Action 9 attempted to contact Lugo at his apartment, by phone and at his business, but he has not responded. As far as the Action 9 team can tell, the address he used to register his business with the state doesn’t even exist.

It’s important to background check and read reviews for any business you’re thinking of hiring for work around your home. Also, be wary of door-to-door salespeople or any business that requires a large upfront deposit or one that pressures you to sign on the spot.

Not all jobs require a contractor’s license, but if the job requires a license you can check to see if someone has a license with Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation: www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp?mode=0&SID=

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