Metro homeowners left with unfinished patio after paying thousands

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Two metro residents said a local handyman took thousands of dollars from them for jobs he never finished.

Chuck Long said the handyman took over $13,000, left his back patio unfinished and their property in shambles.

"He seemed like a nice guy, but he just didn't follow through," said Long.

Long hired Dan Freeman, also known 'Dan the Handyman,' back in May of last year to put a patio in the backyard of their Norman home.

"It was originally $13,700 and he wanted half upfront, so we paid him the half," said Long. "He said he should be able to do it in about four weeks."

But it's been 10 months and the job is far from complete.

"He did the frame, and that's as far as it got," said Long. "Right now we got poles sticking up about six inches above the ground and we have grandchildren coming over, so I have to put pots over them."

Long said Freeman eventually had all the money and had made little progress.

"Just frustrating looking out there and seeing a framework that never got completed," said Long. "I have been in contact with two of his other people that he took money from."

One of the people Long was in contact with is William Skidmore.

Skidmore said he hired Freeman to install a new patio a few months after the other couple.

"I gave him half upfront," said Long. "He would always respond, 'Hey, I'm on another job. I'm finishing up nothing."

Skidmore said he eventually hired someone else to complete his patio, but is out thousands of dollars himself. Something he, along with Long, want to prevent others from experiencing.

"He'll never learn his lesson until something does happen," said Skidmore.

"There's other people out there that he's scamming and we just want to put a stop to it," added Long.

News 4 tried reaching out to Freeman to get his side of the story, however he didn't return our calls.