Indio couple accuses contractor of coming up short in rebuilding fire damaged home

Jim Meza and his cousin looked over the damage and debris left behind after a fire at the Indio home owned by Jim’s girlfriend.

Even though the electrical fire broke at the home on Palo Verde Street in July, 2015, the house is still unlivable.

Guadalupe Puga shared the house with her three chlidren.

“She’s frustrated and its taken its toll on me too, also on her kids. Her kids are angry,” said Meza.

The morning after the fire, Meza says his girlfriend was approached at the home by a representative from “Fire Insurance Repair Experts”.

He offered Lupe a contract to repair the house and remove the debris.

She signed, and now regrets it.

“We believe that we were signing a contract that was going to be met, and its been a nighmare,” said Meza.

Meza says it wasn’t until 7 months after the contract was signed that the contractor actually began the work, and Meza claiims the work completed so far is “shoddy”.

He says the work has failed to pass city inspection, and says the house remains “red-tagged”.

Meza also says his girlfriend was billed for work that was not completed.

“This company is just negligent in all areas. They don’t return phone calls. They don’t return emails. They’re just negligent in all areas,” said Meza.

By the time Mesa concluded the work was not meeting expectations, he says “Fire Insurance Repair Experts” had already received well over half of the one hundred fifty thousand dollars in insurance money, with the funds released by a third party.

At that point, Meza says the contractor was asked told to stop working on the house.

“The contract was for, it was to be complete in one year. 12 months. We’re way beyond that now,” said Meza.

Online search results indicate “Fire Insurance Repair Experts” operates out of an office in Riverside, and the company lists an address in Newport Beach.

Its owned by Gregory and Juliette Zuccolotto.

We checked with the Contractors State License Board, and discovered there are others who’ve filed complaints against their businesses.

Gregory’s license was revoked in 2012, after the state found he committed 7 offenses, including “misrepresenation and false advertising”, and “failing to pay for materials and services”.

Juliette’s license, which the company now operates under, is listed as “active”.

But, two complaints are filed, with 8 alleged violations, including “departing from trade standards” and “departing from plans or specifications”.

“Its rare that they answer their phone, or even return any text messages. They have excuses,” said Meza.

The Zuccolottos did not respond to my phone call requesting a response to Jim Meza’s allegations, but their laywer did, with a written response.

Attorney Gregory D. Angus wrote:

– “My client was fired from the job in writing in September 2016 and has not been allowed to return. The homeowner breached the contract not my client.”

– “Since this was a fire restoration project it was paid for by the insurance company, Once the claim settled which was months after fire, the money was paid by the insurance company to the mortgage company and the Mortgage company disperses payments. The homeowner believed that the contractor received all the money in advance, but this is not the case the mortgage company had it. So far the contractor has only been paid 53% of the construction price and they have performed far more than half of the work.”

– “My clients agreed to return.”

Still frustrated and angry, Meza says he and his girlfriend are considering legal action, or taking whats left of the insurance money and repairing the house on their own.

If you are a homeowner, and someday find yourself in a situation where your home is destroyed by fire, the Contractor State License Board offered the following considerations to keep in mind:

– Homeowners should not rush into repairs no matter how badly it is needed, as they may be in a very vulnerable state after their property has been damaged.

– We advise that homeowners work with their insurance company first and do NOT sign over rights for the contractor to work with the insurance company on their behalf.

– Always check the license first to ensure the contractor is licensed and in good standing with CSLB. They can do this by calling CSLB’s toll-free number 800.321.CSLB (2752) or checking cslb.ca.gov.

– Confirm that the contractor has workers’ compensation insurance for employees.

– Get at least three bids and at least three references.

– Never pay more than 10% down or $1,000, whichever is less. *Do NOT pay in cash.

– Make sure all project expectations are in writing and only sign the contract if you completely understand the terms.

– Don’t let the payments get ahead of the job.

– Do not make the final payment until you’re satisfied with the job.

Meza hopes others learn from their troubles.

“We really don’t wish harm on anybody, But we’d like for them to be stripped of their license,” said Meza.