TAMPA, Fla. — Imagine paying thousands of dollars for new quartz countertops that were never installed. Two customers contacted Tampa Bay 28, saying the contractor they hired took their money without doing the work.
Kirk Sherwood said in the spring he hired Elite Countertops, LLC, owned by Jose Canete, for a kitchen project at an investment property in Citrus County. Sherwood said the scope of work included new cabinets, quartz countertops and a matching backsplash for $9,100.
Sherwood said he was supposed to pay half as a deposit, but due to a payment glitch, he ended up paying the full amount upfront.
When asked what work Canete did, Sherwood responded, “He drew a design on a piece of paper and sent me an invoice. I've never seen him since that day," Sherwood said.
The project was part of Sherwood's plan to renovate and sell his home to fund another project he's passionate about: building homes for the homeless.
"That's not going to happen, the equity is gone, it's been too long," Sherwood said.
When Sherwood posted about his experience on Facebook, he heard from Casey Turbiak, another customer, almost 100 miles away.
Turbiak had just opened her hair salon, Maven and Mane, in St. Petersburg. She said she hired Elite Countertops for a $13,000 project that included styling stations, front desk, retail shelves, coffee bar, and shampoo room countertops. Turbiak said Canete had done another project for her family, so she brought him in on this job and paid a $7,000 deposit.
“As we got closer to the opening day, things just felt very off, he kept ignoring us, wouldn’t respond,” Turbiak explained. "For the first three weeks we worked in the salon, we had no counters."
Canete did not respond to Tampa Bay 28’s multiple requests for comment. Since Elite Countertops does not have a storefront, Consumer Investigative Reporter Susan El Khoury checked state business records, which listed the main company address as a house in Tampa.
A man at the home said Canete was not there, but called him. During the call, Canete told Tampa Bay 28 another business canceled on him, affecting his company and forcing him to fire employees. He said he is still doing counter work and plans on paying everyone back.
Turbiak said she recovered some money through her credit card company, but is still out $4,500.
"He still gives us lots of excuses of why he's not paying us back," Turbiak said.
Sherwood said he recovered $1,500 but is still owed most of his payment.
"I need my money, but I don't even really care anymore I just want this guy stopped," Sherwood said.
Both customers contacted their local sheriff's offices but were told detectives won't investigate because it's considered a civil matter, not a criminal case. They also contacted the Florida Attorney General's Office, but at this time, the state has not opened an investigation.
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