All Square Construction

I contracted with All Square Construction South Carolina to rebuild our exterior deck on 3/4/2022. The owner, James Langlois, came to our home, reviewed the scope of work, and appeared to have a good understanding of the required work, level of effort, and time needed to complete the exterior deck. All Square Construction began the work on 3/16/22 and identified a completion date of 3/30/22. To date, All Square Construction has only completed approximately 25 percent of the deck (see attached photos). The deck frame has been partially built but consists of major shortfalls; for instance; the ledger board attaching the deck to the house is not in compliance with code, the stairway stringer(s) are not anchored correctly and lack the proper fasteners causing the steps to be unstable, multiple joists lack hangar straps, deck boards have not been installed, weatherproof flashing is missing across the ledger just to name a few issues. I have been patient and have engaged the owner constantly to complete the work. The owner will come, work a few hours, leave, then not return for a few weeks. He constantly states that *** return, and it will only take a few days to finish. Starting in April and transpiring over the last 3 1/2-months, I have continued to make numerous attempts to get All Square Construction to complete the work. The owner, in addition to not showing up as scheduled, cited reasons such as labor shortages, competing jobs, and limited financial resources as to why the work couldn't be completed. Throughout the course of the work, I asked about the building permit, which he initially stated he would process; however, I discovered he never filed for the building permit despite the fact I provided the necessary notarized paperwork for it. When confronted, he stated I didn't need it and that he informed the city of Hilton Head he was doing the work, so they can inspect it. Also, I discovered that his licensed expired after he started working for us, and he never renewed it. He claims on his website that he is licensed, insured, and bonded, however, he refuses to share that information with me in order to seek reparations. Additionally, the owner approached me at the end of March and stated that the decking boards he was planning to repurpose were not salvageable. As such, I needed to purchase new boards. I wrote a check to All Square Construction for additional money to purchase the materials. However, All Square Construction never delivered the materials and later the owner admitted to misappropriating the funds. A few days ago, when confronted, the owner became agitated, shared that he was filing for bankruptcy, and claimed that he doesn't have the funds to complete the deck or refund the payments made for uncompleted work and undelivered materials. Finally, I feel I have made every attempt to work with All Square Construction, but regretfully say I have reached a point where I feel I am being held hostage and being extorted by the owner who is unable to complete the work or refund our money. I have been waiting months to get the work completed and have notified him today that I submitted a complaint with the Better Business Bureau including 96 pages of emails and photos, seeking a refund for all services and materials not delivered.