Corey's Tree Service

Danny Corey entered into a contract with my wife to clear 2 large partially wooded lots and prepare them so houses could later be constructed. The work to be done and listed in the contract included removing all pine and hardwood trees except for those marked on the front lot, clean all debris, grind stumps, landscape by bringing in sand and topsoil, and sowing centipede grass seed. The total contract amount to be paid to Mr. Corey was $3,500.00, plus he was to retain the profits from the trees that were to be cut and sold for lumber. Mr. Corey spent months on and off the job with the only work done being some sand brought in, plus the trees being cut and sold. Mr. Corey informed me that he only received $1,500 for the sale of the trees but I have a witness who heard him state to another person that the trees were sold for $7,500. Once the trees were sold, Mr. Corey basically abandoned the job and when contacted each time by telephone gave every excuse and lie imaginable as to why he wasn't working on the job. It's ineffective to even try and discuss things by telephone with him due to his continual excuses and lies. I have also personally spoken to another person who works with my wife that he did work for and she stated that it took him forever to complete her job. Quoting this person, she stated, "He's bad news and it took him three years to finally finish my job." The last time I discussed this job with Mr. Corey by telephone, he wanted out of the contract and stated he would return all of the money my wife had paid him which totaled $1,750.00 (one half of the contract price). This sounded very suspicious to me, especially after he told me what the trees were sold for and what another person heard him state. Since that time, no money has been returned, nor have I have been in contact with Mr. Corey. A Certified / Return Receipt Request letter was sent to him at the first address shown and it was later returned "Unclaimed." I have recently learned that Mr. Corey has moved somewhere near Bath, North Carolina and I'm working on getting a physical address so another Certified / Return Receipt letter can be sent. Once all of the necessary information is collected, suit will be filed against Mr. Corey. As a former Commercial Credit Manager with Lowe's Companies, Inc., I'm handling this in a very business-like manner where everything is done legally, morally, and ethically correct to rectify this problem. Mr. Corey is totally unreliable, irresponsible and will not complete contracted work. I would highly recommend AGAINST dealing with this man and advise anyone thinking about using his tree service to run in the opposite direction as fast as they can. August 12, 2011 Update Today I called Danny Corey and he seemed extremely surprised that I called him. I informed him that I wanted to finally get this issue settled and what it would take to do so. I stated to Mr. Corey that my figures were based on what he had been previously been paid by my wife along with a prorated amount from what he had been paid for the sale of the trees for a total of $2500. When I mentioned that he had previously told me the trees were sold for $1500 he said I was incorrect and they had been sold for $6500. Apparently he had no recollection of what he'd previously told me and I informed him that I had kept excellent documented records of all of our previous conversations which seemed to bother him. When he asked again what it would take to get this settled, I explained that I was trying to be fair and stated it would require the return of $2500 which included the $1750 paid to him by my wife, plus $750 which was one half of the originally stated amount from the sale of the trees. At that point, Mr. Corey became irate and stated we were expecting him to have worked for nothing and that he was charging $125 per hour for the work he had done. When I stated that the price per hour had no bearing or merit on this due to the written contract with a set total price for the job and it would take $2500 to settle this once and for all, he hung up on me. It seemed that each time I tried explaining something to him, he would interrupt me with a "fast talking" comment, probably in hopes of trying to confuse me. I tried handling this conversation in a business-like manner but he was very unwilling to do the same. If in fact he did receive $6500 for the sale of the trees in addition to the $1750 paid to him by my wife, with the return of $2500, he still would have made $5750 which would have been more than fair and just compensation for the work that was completed. IMPORTANT SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 Update: I'm sorry to report that Daniel Kevin Corey, aka Danny Corey, was killed on Sunday, September 12, 2011. He had taken on a residential job in Martin County, North Carolina to cut trees damaged during Hurricane Irene. Apparently, he was cutting a pine tree and when it fell, it bounced off the ground, then back on top of him resulting in his death. Due to these circumstances, once the required legal notice appears in the newspaper naming his Executor/Administrator, a claim will be filed against his estate in Pitt County, North Carolina.