GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Back in August, Dan Hanson's lawn looked clean-cut. He said that's because he had to take matters into his own hands, doing a job he said he paid Aron Calton over $600 to do.
Hanson said for some time he was hopeful Calton would come and do the work Hanson had hired him to do. However, he eventually realized that Calton would not be returning.
"It was after that third week when he just stopped communicating all together," said Hanson.
Hanson said he paid Aron Calton's company, Lake Michigan Pool and Outdoor Services $630 to have his grass mowed bi-weekly.
When he had to get his riding mower out to cut the grass, he said it took longer than usual.
"Took me about six hours to mow the lawn for something that should take me an hour tops because of how long it was, how thick it was. And this is back in July when the grass was very plentiful with all the rain."
Lake Michigan Pool and Outdoor Services is now known as Calton's Lawn Care and Landscaping.
The 13 ON YOUR SIDE HELP TEAM called the company twice with no answer and no call back, and also sent them a message on Facebook Messenger. We did receive a response through Messenger, but the sender did not identify themselves. They did, however threaten 13 ON YOUR SIDE with legal action saying in part:
"Personally speaking to my customer's or my business is none of yours or the news business at all."
The message went on to say:
"At this time I would appreciate it if we end this conversation or I might have to get a hold of some lawyers."
The sender did acknowledge the agreement for lawn service with Dan Hanson and said that Hanson broke the contract. Hanson told the 13 HELP TEAM he never got a contract.
The HELP TEAM also talked to Ryan Calton. If that last name sounds familiar, it's because Ryan is Aron Calton's brother. He spoke with the HELP TEAM about unfinished jobs he paid Aron more than a thousand dollars for in August of 2022.
"Do rocks, to clean our gutters, to take some sticks and stuff that were in the backyard, to do some overall landscaping for us," said Ryan.
Ryan said after two days of work, Aron stopped showing up and never finished the work.
"He came over and he worked for maybe a half a day, and then he didn't show up one day," said Ryan. "And I called him and texted him and asking if he was coming, and he never responded, and just never came back to finish the job."
Ryan sued his brother in small claims court and was awarded a default judgment for just over a thousand dollars. The two haven't talked since.
Ryan said that despite the fact that Aron is his brother, his actions didn't hurt him.
"I kind of disowned him a long time ago, but I tried to rebuild in that relationship when we hired him to do this work, and then he burned us that way."
The HELP TEAM reached out to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to get a better idea of Aron Calton's business dealings.
"The Better Business Bureau has conducted an investigation into Carlton's lawn care and handyman service and Lake Michigan pool and outdoor services, and we have determined that they may be owned by the same owner based off of consumer reports to us through our complaint system linking similar phone numbers and return addresses on invoices that match each company," said Katie Grevious of the BBB.
The Better Business Bureau in Grand Rapids has received multiple complaints about Aron Calton's companies. Grevious said the complaints have the same theme, Aron Calton takes money for work and doesn't finish the job.
"In the specific case of Calton's Handyman Service, they have multiple unanswered complaints against them, which are on their profile that any consumer can see or read about," said Grevious. "That's why they have that letter grade, that's why they have that F Rating."
Grevious said you should always run businesses and owners' names through the BBB website before hiring them.
The HELP TEAM tried to reach out again to Aron after talking with his brother, but he did not return a request for comment.
Grevious said the BBB sent their findings and concerns to the Michigan attorney general's office for review, 13 ON YOUR SIDE will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.
and we'll update this story if we learn about any developments on that.
There are more members behind the scenes working to get the job done. HELP TEAM stories can be seen on weekdays at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and at www.13HelpTeam.com. People are encouraged to contact the HELP TEAM by calling 616-559-1313 and leaving a message or emailing help@13onyourside.com.