Contractor and Clients Wage War Online, and In Court
Unsatisfied customers take complaints about a contractor to the Internet.
Sept. 28, 2007— -- Steve Sieber is a veteran Washington D.C. contractor who has been in the business for 25 years. He has a charming smile and a zealous sales pitch that keeps him very busy. Sieber's company boasts more than 100 home renovations a year.
Some of his customers, like Crista Cooper, gave him glowing reviews. "My experience was very, very positive," she said.
Another customer, Reverend James Webb added, "it was better than anything I could have imagined."
So why did this successful contractor, who lives in a comfortable house and drives a Jaguar from job to job, insist on introducing "20/20" to so many of his happy customers? Perhaps it's because some of his other clients are so angry.
"He's a conman extraordinaire. That's what he is," said Nick Mattera.
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Sieber has a history of trouble. Back in 1990, an ABC News investigation found a flurry of complaints against him and asked if in fact Sieber was "the contractor from hell?"
Soon after, under pressure from Montgomery County Maryland officials, he agreed not to work there for three years. Now, 17 years later, the same contractor is facing similar complaints with different customers.
"He tells you what you want to hear. Even if it's not the truth. He lies," said customer Monica Hammock.
Sieber says he's not lying, his customers are. But in the age of the Internet, these dissatisfied homemakers have a new weapon that didn't exist almost two decades ago. Instead of just telling their neighbors about their complaints, they can post their dissatisfaction and bad reviews on the Web for all to see.
Customers took their fight to a consumer Web site called Angie's List, and after nine complaints against Sieber, the site issued what they say is an extremely rare "Consumer Alert" which indicates the company is investigating claims that Sieber "didn't finish jobs and performed very poor quality work."
What really angers Sieber are the anonymous complaints. He says Angie's List allows complainers to bad-mouth his business to its 600,000 subscribers and gives him no opportunity to respond.
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