KENT, Wash. — A small business in Kent with a list of consumer complaints and state licensing concerns is at the center of a warning from the Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific.
The BBB said DJE Concrete & Construction (DJE) had an F rating at the time of releasing the warning on Oct. 23.
BBB Great West + Pacific PR and Communications Manager Logan Hickle said the BBB has received three complaints and one Scam Tracker report in recent years about DJE and its tactics.
According to the complaints, after accepting money, DJE only partially completes the job, leaving the customer searching for a refund and a new contractor to complete the job. The company responded to a customer’s request for a refund once BBB brought complaints to the attention of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I).
One customer in Kent, WA, reported to the BBB’s Scam Tracker they agreed to have DJE install a new driveway in April 2023. The BBB said the customer produced their own contract outlining the work to be done and payment terms, which DJE owner John Taufa signed. The customer paid $3,000 in April 2023, agreeing to pay an additional $3,500 after the job. A few weeks later, the BBB reports that the DJE crew removed the old driveway. Taufa communicated he would return on May 1, 2023, to pour the customer’s new driveway. The customer said DJE and Taufa did not return, leaving them with an unpaved driveway for many months while they searched for a contractor to complete the job.
According to the BBB, the customer later discovered that DJE did not file for the appropriate permit with the city of Kent, leaving them to pay an additional $1,200 to the city.
The BBB said another customer reported that they entered into an agreement with Taufa and DJE Concrete and Construction to pour a concrete pad in the backyard and sidewalk of their home. After that, the customer told the BBB that DJE had shown up to their home sporadically without notice. Almost a month later, the customer said DJE had not finished framing the project. The BBB said the customer has reported that "phone calls and text messages for information are rarely returned if at all, leaving us in the dark about what's going on.”
BBB reached out to DJE and John Taufa on three occasions since May 2023 and has received no response as of publication. After the customer from Kent began working with BBB, BBB contacted L&I. Once an investigator from L&I was involved, Taufa began responding and returned an agreed-upon $2,000 to the customer in Kent.
KING attempted to call DJE several times but its listed phone number is currently out of service and its website is linked to an "unavailable" Facebook page profile.
According to the public record of DJE Concrete & Construction on Lni.wa.gov, the state registration for DJE was suspended by L&I on September 12, 2018. The report revealed the company has more than $37,000 in unpaid tax debts and nine violations dating back to 2018, with the most recent fine being levied against the company in October 2022.
The BBB said it encourages any individuals engaging in a business transaction with DJE, John Taufa, or a related company to proceed cautiously.
For more information, visit BBB.org/HomeImprovement for more guidance on your next home project.
BBB recommends the following tips for finding a reliable and trustworthy general contractor:
- Check a contractor’s business profile at BBB.org
- Do your own research on contractors; don’t believe the advertisements
- Verify your contractor’s registration or license and insurance at Washington L&I’s ProtectMyHome.net
- Get three quotes from different contractors
- Get everything in writing
- Ask for references