DES MOINES – A paving contractor scam from Hannibal, MO., is operating in Iowa. The company Chip & Seal Construction Co. has targeted at least one Iowa homeowner in Buchanan County.
On Aug. 26, a rural homeowner was approached by David Watkins stating he had extra material left over from a DOT job and they could repave their driveway for a couple hundred dollars. The homeowner agreed but ultimately ended up paying the company $6,500 after being pressured to do so.
After paying the company, the homeowner went online to research information found on their receipt. A photo of who they knew as “David Watkins” revealed his real name is Basil Failor. Failor has a lengthy history of problems with property owners and law enforcement authorities across Missouri and Illinois. In January of this year he was arrested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol for a felony warrant for financial exploitation of the elderly and violation of unlawful merchandising practices.
His company, Chip & Seal Construction from Hannibal, MO., has been the focus of previous consumer allegations of overcharging for low-quality driveway work. This company may be traveling around to different neighborhoods and communities possibly changing their name and using different aliases to elude unwanted attention. St. Louis BBB’s press release can be accessed at http://www.bbb.org/stlouis/news-events/bbb-warnings/2015/04/bbb-warning-on-itinerant-driveway-contractors/