HOUSTON -- A family paid to have its roof repaired but the roofer ran off with the money, the Local 2 Troubleshooters reported Wednesday.

Now they are left with a large leak, a canceled check and a contractor who checked out.

"Do you remember her name? No you don't. You took her money, but you don't remember her name?" Local 2 Troubleshooter Robert Arnold said.

He may not remember her, but Lynn Trevino knows contractor Jim Theusch all too well.

"That's the man that came to my house, took my money and never called me back," Trevino said.

Last December, she hired Theusch and his company, Houston Business and Home Services, to repair the roof on her parents' home before it was put up for sale.

"My mother and father wrote a check for $570 that was to cover the materials that he needed for the roof," Trevino said.

But Trevino never saw Theusch again.

"He didn't show up," she said.

She tried to cancel the check, but discovered it was cashed almost immediately.

She even went to the Green Sheet for help, where she originally found Theusch in an advertisement.

"When the Green Sheet called him, he said. 'That's not me. I didn't take that check. I didn't even go look at the job,'" Trevino said.

Theusch eventually sent the Green Sheet a check for $290, which they turned over to Trevino and her family.

But she still wants the rest of the money back.

"There's a lot of things I can do with that money. I have a birthday party for my little girl. I even have school coming up -- school clothes. It's money that we work hard for regardless of it just being $280," Trevino said.

The Local 2 Troubleshooters tracked down Theusch and his company at a ramshackle garage apartment in northeast Houston.

"How are you doing, Jim? Can I talk to you a moment? I'm Robert Arnold with Channel 2," Arnold said.

But Theusch could not remember the job.

"You took this women's money, you don't remember her name, and now you're just not going to answer any questions at all?" Arnold said.

Trevino and her family will probably never get their money back, the Troubleshooters reported. And they've lost even more since they had to lower the selling price of the home.

The recent heavy rains caused more damage inside and out. Regardless, Trevino said she has learned an important lesson that she wants to pass onto others.

"I'm not going to give anybody money up front anymore," she said.

That's good advice for anyone hiring a contractor. Here are some other tips.

Check to make sure the contractor is licensed and bonded. In this case, the contractor said he was, however, Trevino did not ask to see proof.
If you're hiring anyone to do electrical, plumbing or air conditioning work, ask to see the license. They are required by the state to have one.
Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if they've had any complaints.
Ask for references from satisfied customers and call them to verify.

Online Tools:

Find Out If Someone Is Licensed For Plumbing In Texas: Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners
Find Out If Someone Is Licensed For Electrical And Air Conditioning Work: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
Check Company Complaints: Houston Better Business Bureau