HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas —
Eshera Banks contracted Christopher Masullo of Masullo Improvements to replace her old backyard fence in February. She paid Masullo $5,000 up front and said she was told the project would be completed in two weeks.
Less than two weeks remain of May and Banks still doesn't have a new fence.
Banks said Masullo was supposed to start the project around February 18, but didn't make a visit until nine days later. She said he only did a few days of work and she never saw any of the materials that she supposedly paid for.
Instead, he left her fence-less, she said.
"When he did show up, he pulled my fence down completely and kind of left it there and that was it," Banks said.
Banks said she could recall a work crew from Masullo Improvements coming to her house once in February and another time in March. After several weeks of excuses, she said she asked for her money back.
"He redirected, by saying 'I'll be there, I'll be there,'" Banks said. "I asked for my money back multiple times actually, and he always just promised to come back. He never came back."
Masullo contacted KCEN Channel 6. Reporter Andrew Moore looked into texts from the contractor and the proposal he provided to Banks, then documented what work was completed and left unfinished.
When Channel 6 contacted Masullo by phone and asked why the project was taking so long, Masullo first said there was cement in the yard that made digging difficult, then he said he was waiting for Bank's pool to be completed, and added that weather had prevented him from working.
Channel 6 reminded Masullo that it had been three months from the time the supposed two-week project had begun. After explaining to Masullo that he would be named in a news story, Masullo called Banks Sunday afternoon and said he would give her a refund the following day.
Banks said a refund would make things right.
“In our conversation, he says he’s been on multiple jobs and I have already asked him multiple times to return the money," Banks said. "If he wasn’t able to complete the job based on our contract alone, he should at least be able to refund the money that I gave him."
Channel 6 will check back in with Banks this week to see if the refund was provided.
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