HARRISBURG – Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that his office has filed a complaint against Lackawanna County-based N. Stanley Paving, Inc. and its owner, Nicholas E. Stanley, over alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s consumer protection laws.
According to the complaint, the business and its owner used high-pressure sales tactics, increased contract prices without consumers’ knowledge, abandoned home improvement projects, failed to complete contracted work, and performed substandard work.
The complaint is seeking restitution for affected consumers, as well as penalties, costs, and an injunction against the defendants for alleged violations of the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act and the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
“Consumers trusted this contractor to complete the work they paid for, only to be left with unfinished or substandard projects and unexpected costs,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This action seeks to hold the defendants accountable and help make consumers whole after they were forced to pay additional costs out of pocket to repair Stanley’s poor workmanship.”
Consumers who believe they may have been a victim of the defendants’ business practices are encouraged to file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General online, by calling 1-800-441-2555, or by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov.
The complaint alleges that N. Stanley Paving and its owner advertised paving, sealing, and asphalt services to consumers through social media and door-to-door solicitations. The Office of Attorney General received at least 14 complaints from consumers stemming from the business’ noncompliance with Pennsylvania’s Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act and the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
In one case, a senior citizen in Dauphin County was approached by the defendants offering to pave the consumer’s driveway and represented that they had extra materials left over from another project. The business quoted $16,000 to complete the work, and the consumer made a $8,000 down payment. After the job was completed, the defendants attempted to collect a total that was twice the amount of the contract. When the consumer questioned the increase, it was discovered that additional terms had been added to the contract without the consumer’s knowledge or consent, significantly increasing the price. Fearing a lien on his property, the consumer paid the defendants $32,000 on what was supposed to be a $16,000 project.
A copy of the complaint can be found here.
The matter was filed in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas by Senior Deputy Attorney General Merna T. Hoffman. The complaint in equity is pending court approval.
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