MILFORD, CT (WFSB) -
Some customers of Permanent Siding and Windows in Milford said the company has been charging thousands for shoddy work for years and those customers have been getting nowhere in getting the problems fixed, until they came to Channel 3 Eyewitness News.
"The sales pitch was we don't have to do anything to the house ever again," said Joyce Kuchy.
That's the pitch that sold Kuchy in 2009 when she said she hired Permanent Siding and Windows to restore the beauty of the cedar siding on her dream home in Brooklyn.
Kuchy was given a lifetime guarantee.
"It would look like a beautiful paint job," Kuchy said. "It would never peel, crack, mildew and would be invincible."
So much for being invincible.
The house now appears to be rotting underneath the paint.
The Kuchy's saved $15,000 to restore their home so they wouldn't have to worry about this very problem during their retirement, but no such luck.
Just a few short months later that sales promise turned out to be more of a lie.
"It just peels off and there's not even primer left," Kuchy said. "This drip edge also rotted."
Kuchy said for close to two years she kept calling the owner Joseph Felix.
Kuchy said for years she was told someone would come out and fix the sloppy job, but no one ever did.
"He said he would call me back and he never did," she said. "On April 15, I called the I-Team and they called me back."
That's when the Channel 3 Eyewitness News I-Team started asking the tough questions.
We quickly learned Permanent Siding and Windows has more than a dozen complaints against them, but that hasn't stopped Felix from still advertising.
In fact, Kuchy got a postcard from Permanent Siding just a few months ago.
"If I refer a friend or family to Permanent Siding I get a $500 gift," Kuchy said.
So the I-Team called the phone number, but a voicemail said the mailbox was full and to try again another time.
It's been that way for months.
After several unanswered calls the I-Team headed to the Milford address that was listed on the flyer.
When they arrived, there was no sign of Permanent Siding and Windows. Instead there were signs for Envirotek, LLC and Gutter Helmet of Connecticut.
After doing some research with the Secretary of the State's office, Evirotek is registered as a limited liability company under Joseph and Sandra Felix and Gutter Helmet is an alternative name for Envirotek.
But there's more.
According to a spokesperson from the Department of Consumer Protection, "While Envirotek is a registered contractor with the state, Gutter Helmet is not."
So the I-Team tried to get to the bottom of the issue but as soon as Channel 3's Hena Daniels went to the door, she was kicked right out.
"We're looking for Joe Felix," Daniels said.
"Get out," an unidentified man replied.
"But you don't know what this is about," Daniels said just as the man slammed the door on her.
That didn't stop her, though.
She waited and eventually found Felix.
"Hi we're looking for Joe Felix," Daniels said.
At first he denied being Felix, and after realizing he was the man she was looking for, Daniels pounced.
"Any comment? We've gotten a lot of complaints from your customers," she said, chasing after Felix as he went to his vehicle.
"We would love to hear your side," Daniels said, knocking on his window as he sped off.
The I-Team did run into a friend of Felix's who said he completed work on his restaurant as well as his home, and said the work was nothing less than spectacular.
After the I-Team did some more digging, it was learned Permanent Siding paid out more than $30,000 in settlements with the EPA because the company failed to provide lead hazard information to homeowners.
As for Kuchy, she said when it comes to this business nothing surprises her.
"A response would have helped," she said. "Just show some effort, but they have no pride in what they do."
The I-Team spoke to another customer of permanent siding, 87-year-old Marie Kowalaski, who has been waiting for repairs on the same problem at her house since last year. She said in her case the entire siding is coming off the shingles.
If you would like to file a complaint, click here.
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