Dozens of complaints emerge after snow-clearing company allegedly takes cash, doesn't show up

Chad Adams was looking for someone to help his mother salt and shovel her property over the winter, when he stumbled on an ad for Snow Bros on Kijiji.

Adams said the company's owner told him they could take the job for $600 and sent Adams a contract.

"He was supposed to come and do all snow removal for anything more than two inches of snow. He was supposed to do the driveway, the front porch, the city sidewalk and salt as necessary," Adams told CBC News.

Adams paid the first installment in November, but it didn't end up snowing again until January.

Someone did come by a couple of times to shovel or put down salt in January, and Adams said he paid the second installment by mid-month.

But since then, he said, no one has come to clear any snow or ice at his mother's house.

Adams isn't alone. Dozens of complaints against Snow Bros have been filed with the Better Business Bureau, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and Kijiji since November 2018.

CBC News also spoke with four other individuals who say they hired the company but receive little or no service.

17 complaints to Better Business Bureau

"We've received a number of complaints that Snow Bros has not gone out and provided service to consumers, or services that were provided were not sufficient," said Fiona Dunbar, the director of consumer services for the Better Business Bureau in central Ontario.

Dunbar said there have been 17 complaints against Snow Bros since November and when the bureau reached out to the company, the owner said they were filing for bankruptcy.

"When we requested information about the bankruptcy, they then advised that they were still trying to stay afloat and when questioned further, they just told us that they had to reduce their staff," she said.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre told CBC News it has received three reports about Snow Bros.

Kijiji also received several complaints, prompting the website to remove the company's advertisement.

Kent Sikstrom, a community relations manager with Kijiji, said they reviewed the ad after several users flagged the post as fraud.

"In this case because we can see that this is a situation that is particularly egregious, there might be a legitimate element of fraud here, we go ahead and not only the delete the ad but we also ban the account to make sure that this type of individual doesn't have the opportunity to come back on the site," Sikstrom explained.

CBC News reached out to Snow Bros for comment, but the owner declined an interview. In an email, he said he was responding to the complaints and has issued "many" refunds to customers.

The company continues to operate a website which lists contact information and an address in Guelph, however a picture of the owner appears to be a stock photo of a construction worker. CBC could not verify who the individual in that photo is.

Police investigated similar complaints

A spokesperson for Waterloo Regional Police said they received two similar complaints involving snow removal companies in January 2018 and November 2018. They have been no similar reports in 2019, police said.

In one case, charges were laid, but police said if they cannot prove intent to defraud, it becomes a civil matter instead of a criminal matter. That means anyone looking to get their money back would have to go through small claims court and sue for breach of contract.

Chad Adams said he has asked Snow Bros for a refund, but at this point, he's pretty sure his money is gone.

"To take him to small claims court is time and money," Adams said. "I'm sure the money would be recouped once we would win, because I'm positive we would. But it's the whole time factor."

He said he's now trying to find someone else to take care of his mother's property for the remainder of the winter and his son has also been pitching in.

"My mom is in her 60s, she has three foster children. One is autistic, one is an infant. So it's not like she can be outside doing her own snow removal," he said.

Adams hopes by sharing his experience, other people won't get caught up in a similar situation.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre recommends consumers do their due diligence when looking for services online. It recommends dealing with a company you know by reputation or from past experience.

The Better Business Bureau also recommends people never to pay up front for any services like snow removal. It says most reputable companies will issue detailed bills after they have completed any work.

The bureau suggests getting estimates from several different companies, noting that someone should come in person to physically assess the property.