- A Centerville man warns against asphalt scams after a $4,000 project failed.
- Slurry Seal of America, unregistered in Utah, provided substandard materials to Cory Bluemel.
- The BBB advises verifying licenses and reviews to avoid unsolicited asphalt paving scams.
Centerville — A Centerville man who spent thousands on a home improvement project done wrong has a warning for the rest of us: Do a little more digging before you hire someone to pave asphalt.
"It's still soft and gooey," Cory Bluemel said of a seven-ton pad of asphalt that was laid down behind his home.
Bluemel hoped the asphalt would have put a stop to people tracking dirt into his home. Well, now instead they're tracking in tar.
"I ended up having to buy sand and putting it down on top just so we don't make a massive mess," he said.
Bluemel paid around $4,000 for the job, which he said the company, Slurry Seal of America, and its owner guaranteed.
But the material used isn't exactly asphalt.
"I've had two asphalt companies look at it since then, and it turns out it wasn't real, regular hot asphalt," he said. "I guess it's some kind of cold patch."
After a litany of excuses and a promised refund from the paver that never showed up, his only fix now is to start over. And it's worse than just being out the money. Someone will have to clean all that up.
"I have seven tons of gooey rock on my back patio that keep me from getting in and out of my house," Bluemel said when he asked me to investigate.
I reached out to the owner of Slurry Seal of America, Jay Joles, several times. I should say, I tried to reach out but I did not hear back.
Digging deeper, I found there is no company in Utah registered as Slurry Seal of America. Now, there is a Joles Asphalt, Inc. in the list of business entities with Jay L Joles as director, but that entity was administratively dissolved back in the 1990s.
In checking with the Better Business Bureau, I found its online Scam Tracker tool shows a slew of complaints against asphalt contractors with the surname, Joles.
Melani Fox of the BBB Mountain West said it receives so many complaints from homeowners caught up in an asphalt paving scam that it periodically sends out press releases and alerts.
"When it comes to these types of scams, a lot of times it is unsolicited offers," Fox said. "We have someone coming up to your driveway or to your house and saying, 'You know, I've noticed you need work done on this or that.'"
Indeed, that is how Bluemel said he first connected with his paver.
Alas, after they get ripped off, few people are ever made whole, which is why the BBB stresses the importance of doing your homework.
Are they licensed in Utah? Do they have references? What pops up when you type their name into a search engine?
"That's kind of like our first step, is going online looking at reviews," Fox said. "Whether it's Google, Yelp (or) Facebook … a lot of times if you're plugged into the local area, you're going to see people talking about these businesses. Especially, if they're going door-to-door."
"If you Google, 'Jay Joles Asphalt,' a litany of stuff comes up," Bluemel said.
He said he has pretty much given up on this being anything more than a several-thousand-dollar lesson learned. But he hopes his experience helps others.
"If one person gets saved, the embarrassment and shame of getting scammed, I would love that," he said.
You can check for business licenses with the online Utah Business Entity Search, and you can check for contractor licenses with the Division of Professional Licensing.
