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The owner of a Wichita business and its employees failed to complete roofing work earlier this year, according to a customer complaint.
Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office is now demanding payment from the business.
Mid-Continent Roofing and Restoration LLC of Wichita, owned by Brett S. Olivier, allegedly committed “unlawful acts and practices” when they failed to perform any work or services nor provide any material benefit to a man in Wichita who was referred to the business by a friend, as stated in a June 21 petition filed in Sedgwick County District Court. This petition proposed that Mid-Continent and Olivier broke the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, which is intended to stop deceptive, unconscionable and fraudulent business activities and grant consumers the right to take legal action.
When The Eagle called the phone number listed on Mid-Continent’s website, it didn’t work, and Olivier was unable to respond to multiple e-mail requests. As of Friday, neither Olivier nor his roofing business had responded to the DA’s lawsuit, and no lawyers were listed for either of them.
According to a July 19 email from Jason Roach, chief attorney for the DA’s Consumer Protection Division, the customer hasn’t received a refund from Olivier or Mid-Continent.
As a result of compliance with a demand letter sent by our office, two other consumer complaints involving Olivier and his business were closed, Roach said, and currently neither business is under investigation.
Roach wrote, “We attempt to work with businesses to resolve consumer complaints. However, litigation is sometimes necessary to protect the community and hold suppliers accountable.”
The DA’s petition states:
After meeting with Olivier and Mid-Continent, the Wichita man wrote a personal check for $13,205.65 to him and Mid-Continent on Oct. 25, 2022.
The contract would be completed by the weekend of February 17, Olivier promised.
However, Mid-Continent and Olivier did not “complete the contract” by that weekend, and Olivier told the customer he would do it the following weekend.
In addition, he did not apply for a permit through the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department for the roofing contract.
On Feb. 21, he requested a refund, but was denied.
In the end, Olivier referred the customer to another trusted roofing company to complete the job. That roofer ordered materials and referred other companies to complete the labor and gutter installation. The roofer also asked the customer to pay directly the material supplier, labor, and gutter installation companies, totaling $12,204.78.
In April 2023, the man filed a complaint against Mid-Continent and Olivier.
According to a May 6 email from Olivier to a DA’s Office investigator, he said “a refund would be issued” if the customer provided “receipts for the crew and materials paid.” Olivier ignored a later demand from the DA’s Office for a full refund.
Olivier and Mid-Continent are being sued for violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, and the DA is asking the court to fine them $20,000 and order them to refund the customer’s money as well as pay investigative and court costs.
