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Farmville man asks for help to retrieve $5,000 owed from contractor

Posted at 6:34 PM, May 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-27 18:34:41-04

FARMVILLE, Va. -- A man says he forked over more than $5,000 to fix the heat in his home, but the contractor hired to do the work never finished it.

'Wrong is wrong! You owe a man, you've got to pay a man," says Bill Amos, from Farmville.

Back in 2012, Amos needed a new heating unit at his home, so he said he hired Jerry Clabo, the owner of Kicking Mule Farm Plumbing & Electric Service in Cumberland, for the installation.

The job wound up costing a total of $5,200 dollars, $3,000 of which he paid up front.

Amos said that’s when things took a turn.

"After he bought that first piece, he say he run into money problems,” Amos said. “He had to have the balance plus the labor part to finish the job.”

He said he gave Clabo the rest of the money, but Clabo never came back to complete the work.  Amos later learned that Clabo wasn't officially licensed and not long after, went out of business.

"The building inspector in Cumberland contacted him and said ‘Jerry you cannot do this job cause you don't have no license. Why didn't he return the money?!” Amos said.

"I messed the money up!" Clabo said, when CBS 6 Problem Solvers inquired about the money. Clabo said he used the money for something personal.

Last year. Amos sued and was awarded a judgment of $5,000-plus interest against Clabo, but still hasn't received any money.

After CBS 6 Problem Solvers got involved, Clabo has agreed to payback Amos in monthly installments, starting in July.

"I could give him a $100 a month, but it'll put me tight," Clabo said.

"He's going to pay every dime and interest! And I'll mark it down! I'm not going to chase my money. You owe me, you going to pay me!" Amos fired back.

With the unit not installed Amos had to rely on heat lamps to warm his home in the winters, until he switched over to a propane gas tank last year.

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