WHITSETT, N.C. — There’s an old saying about taking the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy. Rachel Ritch understands that now. A self-proclaimed city girl she is now right at home in the country.
“I lived in the city my whole life until 20 years ago,” Ritch said. “I love it, (in the country).”
Ritch bought her home at the end of a gravel road on the outskirts of Whitsett. She has a big front yard and loves her neighbors.
The home is perfect for Ritch but could use a few upgrades, including a new roof. One day Ritch was outside when a man showed up.
“He said he was driving by and was looking for houses that needed a roof repair he said my homeowner's insurance would pay for it,” Ritch said.
The two spent about two hours talking and Ritch eventually decided to have him fix the roof. She filed a claim with her insurance company and was sent a check for around $6,000.
Ritch signed a contract for the repairs and signed the check over to the roofer.
“My daughter said something isn’t right about him, I said he's fine he’s an honest man if ever seen one,” Ritch said.
He was set to begin the job a few days later but he didn’t show up. A week went by and then another and another. Ritch called him several times, but he never came to fix the roof.
“I’ve never been scammed before, he was so nice, but I didn’t know how they approached you,” Ritch said.
A couple weeks later, Ritch was talking to her neighbors when they gave her some advice.
“She and he both said you need to call News 2,” Ritch said.
A few days later Ritch reached out to us, and we started to investigate the case. We contacted the roofer and asked what he planned to do. He seemed to have an excuse for everything, but we ultimately asked him to refund the money she paid him. A short time later he refunded the money.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the check,” Ritch said.
Ritch said she learned a valuable lesson about trusting people and making sure the company or person is trustworthy before handing over $6,000. In this case, it all worked out, and Ritch can hire someone else to fix the roof.
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