After Scam Left Elderly Pittsburgh Couple with a Pile of Dirt and Excuses, Local Landscapers Donate to Finish for Free

A Pittsburgh-area contractor picked up the flag for his profession after a local senior couple were scammed out of some new landscaping work they paid for.

Losing out on $6,750 for a new retaining wall for the garden-side of their driveway, the couple was shocked when someone else offered to do it for free.

The Ruffings explained that in exchange for an advance of $4,000, Shiloh Landscaping gave them a pile of bricks, a pile of mud, and then a pile of excuses.

“He said his truck broke down and then he had a fire in his trailer and then… just didn’t see him,” said Pam Ruffing.

Local contractor Ray Benvenuti, who saw the Ruffing’s situation on TV decided to help out.

“I’m sick of seeing this stuff going on.”

Benvenuti Landscaping and Reconstruction arrived with help from a local hardware store, and together with the few materials already brought over by the previous contractors, proceeded to build the whole retaining wall with donated labor.

“It’s a little tedious because we had to start from scratch a little bit and match somebody else’s work. I mean, we’ll get it done, we’re professionals,” Benvenuti said at the time.

And that they did—even constructing an additional corner wall to match by the steps up to the house—all in time for Easter lunch, which offered the Ruffings the added joy of dodging the need to explain to their family and friends what the giant eyesore under the blue tarp was all about.

A BBB spokeswoman said don’t pick the first contractor who bids on your project, but wait to hear from two or three. Request proof of insurance and pay no more than one-third of the total cost as an advance.

Additionally, if a contractor does $5,000 or more of work in a year, they are required to register with the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. If they lack this registration, that’s a clear red flag.