Stupid Internet.
"Andrew" does online marketing for a living and recently started dabbling in real estate. He estimates he's spent $20,000 in repairs on a house in the Northeast that he hopes to flip. Via Craigslist, he hired a contractor named Lewis Benson to do some work on the home's exterior. He paid Benson $1,400. Afterward, Andrew couldn't track down Benson for three working days via phone or e-mail. He suspected a scam. So Andrew did what any average hipster with Web-savvy friends would do -- he created a site to destroy Benson's reputation.
"This motherfucker will screw you over," declares Andrew's first post on LewisMBenson.com. "He'll bid your remodeling job, take your money, then disconnect his phone and stop responding to emails." The site gleefully displays links to Benson's Facebook and MySpace profiles under the prompt "Here's some links to light him up at."
The site also directs readers to Case.net to view a number of Jackson County court claims in which Benson is a defendant. Does this mean Benson is a con artist?
All the Case.net
filings really prove is how much Benson's life has sucked in recent
years. One filing is the result of a car accident that happened 14 years ago. There's a record of his 2000 divorce and the paternity suit that followed. He's been ticketed for speeding, driving
without his vehicle's registration, and having an adult passenger in his vehicle without a seat belt. He got a DWI in 2005 and had his license revoked when he refused to take a Breathalyzer; then he received a ticket for driving without a license. He's missed a rent
payment here and there, which isn't so rare in this economy.
When we e-mailed Benson, he called back immediately. With
weariness in his voice, he explained that he's had only two unhappy
clients in four years of business. Andrew is one. The other is a man
in Shawnee named Jason Thomas Ross, who Benson thinks is the author of the second complaint posted at LewisMBenson.com.
According to Benson, his two-man company, Fix-All Remodeling, was hired to do the cheapest possible cosmetic repairs on the exterior of Andrew's property. Benson started the work, then realized that the problems with the home's porch were more than cosmetic -- the rotting wood was a safety hazard, he says.
"We tried to walk away at that point," Benson says, "But he called back and asked us what it would take to do it the right way, bare minimum."
Benson and Andrew negotiated further, and they both agree that Benson was paid $1,400 for the work. But Andrew says once he was paid, Benson changed his phone number. That was last Wednesday. He says Benson didn't show up to work on the house on Thursday, and ignored Andrew's e-mails Friday.
Benson's explanation: He had to change his family's cell phone plan.
Here's where things get weird. Through some Googling, Andrew says, he found a Craigslist ad Benson posted for a laptop he was selling for $1,200 (The ad specifies he'll take cash, "or will trade for a good motorcycle.") Andrew got a friend to reply to the ad, and Benson responded right away. The friend and Benson agreed to meet Sunday at a McDonald's to make the sale. When Benson showed up with the laptop, Andrew and three friends were waiting. Andrew says that he told Benson he could "make things right" by giving him the laptop, and they could call it even. If he refused, Andrew said, he'd expose Benson as a fraud.
Benson says Andrew's exact words were "I'm going to ruin your fucking life." He told Andrew that he'd see him in court, and left with the laptop. That same night, LewisMBenson.com went live.
Andrew disagrees that his tactics are the online equivalent of killing a spider with a sledgehammer. He says his site is a vehicle for consumer advocacy and he believes that Benson had every intention to cheat him from the beginning. Suing Benson would incur court costs, Andrew says, and even a judgment in his favor wouldn't guarantee him his money back.
But surely Andrew could have given Benson more than five days -- two of which were over the weekend -- to get back in touch? "I guess," Andrew says.
Since putting up the site, Andrew has heard from two more customers who say that after they paid Benson, he changed his number and ducked them to avoid finishing the work.
In his latest post, Andrew writes that Benson "hasn't exactly covered his tracks well." He points The Pitch to several suits against Benson labeled "Landlord Complaint." But if Andrew views those as indications of other scammed homeowners who'd sued Benson, he's wrong. A landlord complaint typically means that a landlord has had to sue a tenant for unpaid rent. Sorry, Andrew -- the Better Business Bureau you are not.
Even though he has created a site to call Lewis Benson out in the most public way possible, Andrew asked us not to identify him by his real name. He fears for his safety, he says.
Benson is exploring his legal options to get the site taken down. A contractor's good name is his most valuable asset. "Regardless if this stops today, he's already ruined my work for me," he says. "One bad word can ruin a lot."
Update: Andrew would like us to make it clear that while he's authored most posts on the site, he doesn't own the site itself, nor the domain name (a blogger friend helped). Also, he says he showed up at McDonald's with two friends, not three, and says he didn't intend to appear intimidating.
Since this blog posted a couple hours ago, we've received two e-mails from people claiming that Benson took their money. One says he lost $600 to Benson in November '09 -- he's the actual author of the second post on LewisMBenson.com. Another former client claims he was scammed for $1,200, and he'd posted his experience on Angie's List (you have to log in to read it -- search "Benson Remodeling").
First image via Facebook. Second image via 100waystogetrevenge.wordpress.com
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He's up to his old tricks again, this time using the name "True Brite Painting"...
http://lewismbenson.com/
"All the Case.net filings really prove is how much Benson's life has sucked in recent years."
If this man wants others to feel sorry for him because his "life has sucked" in recent years, he shouldn't bid on a job, get paid, and then disappear with the money!
Andrew might have overreacted a little, because he didn't give Mr. Benson enough time to respond. However, he's the one out of money, so he's got every right to be pissed off.
The reason so many people get away with screwing others, is because the victims don't report cases of fraud, because they feel embarrassed that they were duped.
Andrew is doing the right thing, and Mr. Benson just needs to man up, and act responsible if he wants others to take him seriously as a contractor. If he was a good contractor, he would have just finished the work that he was paid for without all of the
drama.
I just want to say as the ex-wife of Mr. Benson....how is it even relevant to mention that he was divorced or that he has paternity issues? And why is it important to list the case numbers as well??? I understand that case.net makes records public, but since getting divorced does not make someone a scam artist, why is it even mentioned? Our divorce & our children have nothing to do with this.
again, you are taking an internet vigilantes word as golden. Was there a deadline on the job contract? Did the contractor still have time to meet the deadline. Does an aggressive act like tricking someone to meet you in a parking lot, then trying to strong arm them of their property nullify said contract? It may not be slander, then again it may be. We don't have all of the facts, they havent been litigated in a small claims court. Get it chowder head? It's a one douche crusade that people are taking as the undeniable truth. small contractors all have horror stories about some moron who wanted a job done in an unreasonable time frame or who constantly complain and try to get more than they paid for. Stop taking some anonymous clowns word as if it were fact.
Slander implies that the claims are false or without merit. I don't think 3 separate documented cases of this individual taking money and failing to do the agreed upon work meet that definition.
Not returning a call in 3 days is tantamount to a scam? Wayner, you are basing an argument on supposition. You assume everything some tool on the interwebs says is absolute truth. I think that's the point made in the post that is being overlooked. Anyone can set up a site, slander you, and people just buy it as truth. If the guy who started the site, doesn't have the cajones and conviction to put his name on it, while spilling all the details about his target, then he, the slandering dooofus, has zero credibility.
In my not at all humble opinion.
Im sorry, but enough is enough of this crap. Nadia, and others, It doesn't really matter how bad his life is or has been. Doesn't the simple fact remain that he scammed someone and possibly more? Does having a hard life make it more okay? That is basically the heart of what your post entails and it sickens me. There is no justification for taking someone's money and not doing the work you were paid for.
Life, such as it is, is hard, but you don't see me stealing money from people and I wouldn't expect someone to feel sorry for me if I did. So why do you?
That's it, end of story.
Did anyone consider that the guy doing the interweb butcher job on the contractor might be giving a slanted take on the thing? That maybe waiting only a couple of days before he tries to basically rob the other guy in a parking lot might be jumping the gun. Or that maybe half the people responding to this post might be the same douchebag who has no problem putting a persons name on the internet, yet refuses to divulge his own? Show me a contractor who hasnt had a few disgruntled customers, and I'll show you a guy who never hammered a single nail. Small claims court doesnt require a lawyer. And a little patience doesnt cost much other than time.
It sounds to me like Nadia did a pretty fair job of reporting this story. There is obviously a lot of bad blood between Andrew and Benson now, and it would be difficult to take either one at face value when discussing the incident. While is seems that Andrew has EVERY right to be angry, legal options are the best way to handle such disputes. I'm not sure creating a website lewismbenson.com is such a good idea. Either way, it would be nice to have some legal analysis on the situation. I hope that Andrew has his money returned, but I also hope that there is more level-headed investigating into Benson.
I don't know why anyone is so shocked that I went to the site's namesake to get his side of the story. A "hack job" would have been the opposite -- to take one person's word as gospel, without question. "Andrew" came to us with his story because he thought that, because he knows people (fellow hipsters, right?) at the Pitch, we'd automatically have his back.
But I didn't "side" with Benson, either -- I pointed out the wrongs committed by both parties. "Andrew," whose real identity I'm still protecting, is righteously angry for being taken for $1400. But now that we know who Benson is -- not some fat-cat guy living the good life from all his illegally-acquired gains, but a sorry, Independence-dwelling loser with a really shitty driving record and a really shitty romantic history -- well, I can't help but point out the entitled brattiness of someone who clearly enjoys beating up on someone like that even further.
What do you expect? She works for the PITCH, had she actually written about the real story no one would be reading it. Gotta make shit up and get people to read the pitch.
I just have two things to say about this, first this has been a hard time in the country and it gives no man or woman the right to take money from people with out doing the work they were suppose to do, and second Nadia Pflaum you may bee the dumbest bitch I know! Seriously who takes the side of someone ripping people off. I will no longer read the pitch because of this. I think the editor of the paper should be ashamed to let something like this get published. I'm sad that this is what has become of the news paper business.
You would think if he's got babies to feed he would try harder to keep his clients happier, also if he was taking care of his babies, he wouldnt have had two paternity cases filed against him (04FC209376, 02FC203668) and a refusal of 'breathalyzer' (0516-CV35181).
Who's not going the 'grown up rout' here?
To ^^^ how do Mr. Benson's balls taste? Maybe you should remove them from your hole and actually look and see what he's been doing to people. Just because you have "known" someone for 16 years doesn't make them a good person, how do we know you are not out there scamming people as well. I hope this guy fucks up, goes to prison and Karma in the form of a big black man reaps revenge for everyone he fucked over.
Kell,
As someone who hasn't known Mr Benson long but can stand up and say he is in fact a rip off artist as I was first hand conned by this man. Both sides of the story? How hard is it? He was hired to paint my house, he was given money to paint my house. He took said money and never painted my house. Complicated stuff.. he lied, cheated and stole from me to feed his children.
Legal advise over 1,200 bucks? Nah, but what goes around comes around. Cheating people out of their hard earned money should make him ashamed of himself.
It's a shame he won't put forth the effort and do the jobs he was hired to do. Instead he takes the easy/lazy route and skips out after collecting the money. There are plenty of hard working independent contractors who WILL do the work for money to feed their kids, Lewis is not one of those.
I have kids to feed too, I just choose to pay for that food by making an honest living. Lewis having kids doesn't excuse him ripping people off.
The facts here are documented: I paid Lewis $1400 as outlined in 2 paper contracts, signed by both of us. He did not perform the work agreed to in those contracts and intentionally avoided me. He's done exactly the same thing to at least 3 other people in the past 6 months.
What exactly is his defense?
Wow, it's this simple: Perform the work, or give the money back. If he's not going to give the money back because he's got "babies to feed", then he needs to perform the work.
It's that simple. If he chooses to do neither, welcome to the wonderful world of exposure! Now more people than ever will know of Mr. Benson's services. Bravo! I hope that money was worth it.
As someone who has been friends with Mr. Benson. For 16 years now I will stand up for him and say he is not a cheater, scam artist, or whatever u feel u need to call him. He has had a hard life and works very hard to take care of his children. If this guy got so screwed then he needs to go the grown up rout and seek legal advise no matter what the cost and not slam lukes name in the ground. He has babies to feed. U all not knowing both sides and judging him should be ashamed!
Are we all together in assuming that Mr. Unknown above is actually Benson? I mean, the first thing I think when someone starts a message with "As a well educated, college professional..." is that that person is neither well-educated nor especially professional. What exactly is a "college professional" anyway? It's like someone introducing himself as a "real, live attorney...of the law."
Then there is the completely transparent attempt to convey a lack of bias: "Now, I do not know either one of these individuals, nor do I know the situation at hand (besides what has been posted)."
I wonder what the attorney that Benson never actually contacted would say about this clever little ruse....
Funny, the college I went to wouldn't let me in until I knew how to write grammatically correct sentences. They also wouldn't let me graduate until I had a decent understanding of the 1st and 14th amendments.
This well educated, college professional would say the 'more educated and mature road' would be to either perform the work or give the money back. It seems to me, that would have prevented the media from ever needing to be involved, as well as removing any need to seek legal council.
I guess I need more education. :shrug:
As a well educated, college professional allow me to explain to the last two posts from people who do not know either side of the story; only what can be seen and read. After looking at all of the allegations being made by "Andrew", and the information in which Mr. Benson has provided it appears to me Mr. Benson is taking the more educated and mature road of seeking legal advice. As anyone would knows when dealing with situations legally attorneys tell you not to speak to the public without consulting them first. Now, I do not know either one of these individuals, nor do I know the situation at hand (besides what has been posted), but what I can say is attacking someone on the internet before they have been found guilty of anything is an immature, cheap-skate way of doing things. Just remember...there are two sides to every story, and with Mr. Benson seeking legal advice his entire portion of the story may not be "leaked" out at this time. If Mr. Benson knew he was guilty of "fraud" or "scamming" I would think he would not have responded to the pitch, and would have tried to hide out from the media sources.
So, you verified that this guy has cheated at least 3 people out of at least $3200 yet you choose to focus on the "hipster vigilante" aspect of the story?
Did you bother to ask Mr. Benson why he didn't do the things he agreed to do or were you too busy feeling sorry for him? If he wanted to maintain a good name as a contractor, he should have earned it the way other contractors do: BY DOING THE FUCKING WORK HE WAS PAID TO DO!!
Great journalism. Let's all side with the guy who took money from people and decided not to do the work, simply because we don't like the tactics used by people trying to recover their money or save others from dealing with the same problems.
Why are we not focusing on Mr. Benson, after meeting up with "Andrew" not returning the money for work never performed and never to be performed?
Is this not something worth focusing on, and instead will focus on how many friends "Andrew" brought with him?
Great job, Nadia.
As the author of the Angies list review I'd like to say..
I am not, and don't plan on suing Lewis. I've chalked this up as lesson learned for being ripped off. It was honestly my fault for being so trusty and falling for his lies. Lesson learned. At best at this point my goal is to warn others so he doesn't continue to take peoples money. I still haven't been able to paint my house properly.
If Mr. Benson makes a public apology admitting that he cheated people out of money, with promises to cease this behavior and attempt to pay back those he defrauded, the site will come down. He can even have the domain name if he wants it.
If Mr. Benson makes a public apology admitting that he cheated people out of money, with promises to cease this behavior and attempt to pay back those he defrauded, the site will come down. He can even have the domain name if he wants it.
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