Tom Kalin has lied again! My husband has his own credit card and I was not home when he gave it to Kalin for the $5000 down-payment. I did not even know my husband had given him his credit card until 2 days later. The only work done was approx 10 min of hydrojetting for which he charged us $1035. A representative at L&I told me his license was expired and he would be fined. He misrepresented himself as another company we had been referred to, which the Police say is "Fraud by deception". He did not give my husband a business card, invoice or written bid or a receipt of payment which would have indicated who he truly was. He told my husband he would send these items to my email, which he failed to do. The only thing we had was his phone number. I did a Reverse Directory on Google which led to Kalin 2 days after the initial contact. After I found poor reviews on his site, researched the proposed job with other companies in town which I was told was illegal, (I was also told by these companies that an entire drain field could be replaced for far less than the $11,000 he was charging), learned that he did not give warranties and was not licenced, we called him Thursday to cancel the job. He did not tell my husband about the added $1035 for the 10 min hydrojetting. I found out about that when I called the bank to cancel the $5000 down payment. He told my husband that we had two septic tanks and that one of them had never been cleaned and that was why we now had a problem. We have had our tank cleaned out every 3-4 years since 1977. I called the company we have been using for many years and several other companies asking if this was even possible. I was sent a copy of the "As Built" plan of our tank on file with the County, showing 1 tank. I was told that before a company cleans your tank or works on it they are supposed to get a permit and request a copy of the plan. I cancelled the proposed work with Tom Kalin Construction/Spokane Septic repair because there were numerous red flags. The biggest red flag was this man's honesty. After I complained to Visa, Kalin provided them with an invoice written on a "Snow Plow" form. Seems crazy that he would not use a Tom Kalin Construction/Spokane Septic Tank Repair form. I am not "bad-mouthing" Kalin. I am simply informing the public about our ugly experience with this guy and that is what the "review" options are for. I am telling the truth and have no reason to lie. Kalin warned and threatened me about not leaving a bad review on his site. He said he "knew how to take care of trouble makers like me". For many months I was fearful, even expressed my fear to the agent at L&I, the police, BBB, Elderly Protective Services, etc and did not write one. Kalin was advised by the agent at L&I to give us a refund, as no work was performed and to avoid further consequences. He refused to do so. It has been 4 months we still don't have our money. I have over come my fear regarding his threats and am warning the public not to trust him. We all lead very busy lives, get easily distracted and trust the repairmen who come to our homes and businesses. This guy is one who should be avoided. If he lied to us he will lie to you. Take time to do your homework, get at least 3 bids (as we usually do) and check out the business before any work is done. This guy said he was licenced and because he was licensed did not have to get permits, (2 lies). Perhaps he told us this because he was not licensed and would not be able to get a permit. This was a major red-flag for me and was what ultimately caused me to become suspicious and start making calls. But, my initial calls were in regard to the company we had been referred to, not about Kalin, which wasted a lot of time. You can call the WA Dept of Licencing for Contractors, and L&I to check out potential contractors, BBB, etc. Kalin does not deserve the one star rating I had to give, he deserves no rating or minus ratings. Don't trust him. read more
