HARRISBURG – Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a lawsuit against a Pittsburgh-area home improvement contractor for allegedly failing to deliver work after collecting large sums of money in advance.
The lawsuit alleges that Brian Myers and his business, Harpen Construction, LLC, also were in violation of the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA) and Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law when they contracted with several Pennsylvania consumers.
“This is the time of year when scammers target homeowners looking to make improvements, so Pennsylvanians should have their guard up,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This company blatantly broke the law by not making good on paid-for contracts, and for using contracts that did not comply with Pennsylvania’s Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act.”
The Office of Attorney General received ten complaints against Myers and his business since 2021, with consumers alleging that they paid thousands of dollars in down payments for large-scale home improvement projects such as remodeling a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or other living area. In all complaints received, Myers and his business failed to complete the project and in some instances, they performed very little work at all.
One consumer paid almost $60,000 before work could even begin at their home. The payment structure set up by Myers and his business required that this consumer pay 90 percent of the total cost before work would start, only for work to not begin at their home until 18 months after the contract was signed. Even with almost all the costs paid up front, Harpen Construction abandoned the worksite shortly after starting, leaving the consumer with an uninhabitable space and on the hook to find another contractor to complete the work.
Additionally, some contracts did not include the HICPA registration numbers, the start and stop dates for the contracted work, insurance information, and the consumer’s three day right of rescission notice, among other items.
Harpen Construction is no longer registered as a home improvement contractor under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act. The lawsuit further asks that the court prevent Myers and Harpen Construction from working as home improvement contractors in Pennsylvania, as well as pay consumer restitution, civil penalties, and costs.
Any consumers who believe that they or someone they know may be a victim of the practices of Harpen Construction, LLC, or Brian Myers, should file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection online, call 1-800-441-2555, or email sc***@*************al.gov. Inspectors, contractors, laborers, suppliers, or anyone else who may have information regarding the business practices of Harpden Construction, LLC, or Brian Myers are also encouraged to contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
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