James Marinaro and his company Marinaro Construction, which came recommended by a company called Innovative Bidding, signed a contract to do a relatively large project on the 1 1/2 story South Minneapolis bungalow in which I was living as of the summer of 2010 (The home's owner was my domestic partner at the time). The project included the addition of a dormer, as well as repairs to the roof, which was leaking into the porch and causing rot. The price agreed upon in the contract was $35,000. The contract, although it was riddled with spelling errors (never trust an illiterate?), had a clearly written provision whereby upon cancellation of the project, Marinaro Construction was entitled to 10% of the agreed-upon total (i.e. $3500).
No services were ever actually performed, as I will describe below.
Once the contract was signed, and a large down payment made, things quickly went south. Despite Mr. Marinaro's assurances, he and his recommended designer were not able to design any work that could pass inspection in the city of Minneapolis. No materials for the project were ever purchased with the money that was paid. The home's owner became frustrated with the shifting plans and lack of actual progress, and made the wise decision to cut bait, knowing that it would cost the $3,500 agreed to in the contract. (The project's scope had increased, and the current working estimate for the work was now up to $40,000, though no change order or new contract had been signed). While the details leading up to this decision may be in dispute, what cannot be disputed is that Mr. Marinaro refused to refund any of the down payment at all, first claiming that he would do so once he had new work, then eventually agreeing through arbitration with the Better Business Bureau to return the excess amount of $7,000 with 90 days. No money was ever returned, and all communication cut off. It seems to be due to this blatant disregard for business ethics that Marinaro Construction is now NOT BBB ACCREDITED, and receives a BBB rating of F on the web. Link:
http://www.bbb.org/minnesota/business-reviews/construction-and-remodeling-services/marinaro-construction-in-blaine-mn-96043586
While it is possible that Marinaro Construction has satisfactorily completed projects in the past, I would strongly encourage anyone considering writing Mr, Marinaro a check for any amount to consider the risks associated with this decision, as well the fact that one would be contributing to an unethical business (and officially rated as such), which seems unnecessary with so many honest people out there (businesses and customers) trying to make a living.
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