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A Durham man facing fraud charges appeared in court on Wednesday after he was accused of cheating consumers by accepting cash deposits for home renovations but failing to perform any work.
Donald Piper has not yet entered a plea.
One of his alleged victims, Suneeti Sood of Toronto, says she gave Piper $5,000 in October 2018 as a deposit for a new roof that the parties agreed would cost $8,200. Work was supposed to commence the next day, she said. However, Sood alleges that Piper never showed up again.
“It’s awful for anyone to do something like that,” Sood said. She contacted Global News about Piper last year.
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“It (the money) came from my savings, and I had planned and budgeted for it; now it’s gone so I’m stuck. I can’t get another roofer because I don’t have the money,” she said.
Sood says she had to hire another contractor to place plastic tarps over the roof because of missing shingles and exposed plywood. The plastic has been on top of her roof for six months now, according to Sood.
Global News attended Piper’s first appearance in Oshawa court Wednesday. His case will be back in front of a judge in April.
A reporter asked Piper why he allegedly took money but did not complete the work. At first, Piper denied knowing Sood.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he maintained.
However, as Piper faced more questions, he changed his tune.
“Everything will be fine for her,” Piper told Global News, later saying he had originally intended to do the work and had even purchased the materials.
Sood says she heard that excuse repeatedly but that Piper never came through.
“He’s got a technique: he appears to be an easy-going person, but it is all part of the game,” she said.
Sood is hoping that the courts compel Piper to return her deposit.
—With files from Jordyn Read
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