More stories shared after News 4 investigation about contractor scamming people

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) -- More people are stepping forward after a News 4 investigation into a contractor with a bad habit of taking people’s money and not getting the job.

Carol Boschert hired Terry Marler and his company Tuckpointing by Terry.

“Nobody is going to do this to us, it’s just not possible,” Boschert said. “Well, it is more and more and we have to realize that.”

The Boscherts consider their front porch a haven. But above them lies an eye sore. Carol and Roy Boschert said the contractor they paid to fix their chimney took their money and disappeared.

Read: News 4 Investigates contactor accused of scamming people back to old habits

“We wanted to stop what he’s doing this way, he needs help,” Roy Boschert said.

Roy Boschert hired Marler last August. The two signed a contract to fix the chimney with the total price listed at $6,783.

“There’s 3 different payments here, one was due upon signing the contract of the $2,261,” Roy Boschert said.

The Boscherts said they wrote Marler a check that day. After that, they said they never heard from Marler again until this week. The Boscherts recently told News 4 they received a check from Marler with a full refund after a News 4 investigation.

News 4 has been following Marler off and on for the past decade, sharing other stories of people being scammed. One couple said they paid him $10,000 to fix their patio, but the work never got done. Other clients shared similar stories.

The Missouri attorney general eventually took him to court and in 2016, Marler was banned from taking money for construction work until the job was fully complete. Last month Marler admitted to News 4 he violated that court order at least twice, including when he took a deposit from a South City woman then never started the job he promised.

News 4 tried talking to Marler in person but he would only speak on the phone.

“No one tried to take advantage of her,” Marler said.

After a recent News 4 Investigates story aired, the South City woman told News 4 that Marler sent her a check for $3,300. It’s $65 short of what she paid.

“She’s the only I took money down from in forever,” Marler said.

After that quote aired in a News 4 story, the Boscherts contacted News 4 saying they had also been scammed.

Marler changed his company’s name after the 2016 court order. The Boscherts said they wondered if that’s why they weren’t aware of previous complaints about Marler.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office said it is looking into recent complaints against Marler. It said if someone violates a court order, they could be held in contempt. Marler claimed he thought the permanent injunction expired after five years, so he thought it was okay to take deposits from customers.

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