A Bethel Park homeowner says he’s out thousands of dollars after hiring a contractor to replace his front porch. 

Jeffrey Markoff says he hired Quaker State Construction and Supply for an $8,500 porch replacement project and paid a $2,833 deposit to secure a spot on the company’s schedule. According to paperwork reviewed by KDKA Investigates, the contract listed an approximate start date in the spring with an estimated completion time of two weeks.

Months later, Markoff says no construction crew ever arrived. He then tried to contact the owner, Gabe Clouse.

“I call the company number, and there’s no answer. The number had been disconnected, called the designer, and he gave me the cell number for the owner,” said Markoff.

When asked if he ever heard back, Markoff responded: “Never heard back and called that number twice.”

Markoff says losing the money has been frustrating.

“It’s money out of your pocket you feel somebody stole from you,” said Markoff.

KDKA Investigates took Markoff’s concerns to attorney Mike Fiffik of the Fiffik Law Group, a LegalShield provider firm, to find out what consumers can do in situations like this.

“In this situation, he has a couple of different options available to him,” said Fiffik. “If he paid the deposit with his credit card, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act will permit him to submit a dispute.”

That process is known as a chargeback and is generally most effective when initiated within 60 days of receiving the statement. However, Markoff paid by check, meaning that the option was unavailable to him.

Instead, Fiffik recommends several other steps consumers can take:

• Contact local police and report the incident as a theft
• File a complaint with the local magistrate if the amount lost is under $12,000
• File a complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General

When asked where homeowners should file if the contractor lives elsewhere, Fiffik said, “I would file with the magistrate where the homeowner lives.”

KDKA Investigates also attempted to contact Clouse multiple times, but our messages were not returned.

KDKA Investigates learned Clouse recently took over Quaker State and Supply as the new owner. The previous owner told KDKA he sold the business to Clouse in 2024, when the company still held an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau. The business is now listed as closed.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — With Republican Erin Stewart suspending her campaign for Connecticut governor on the eve of the party convention, state Sen. Ryan Fazio is now the favorite to win the Republican endorsement.

Up until Thursday morning, Fazio was locked in a head-to-head match-up with Stewart, who had long been considered the favorite to win the Republican endorsement at Saturday’s convention.

With Stewart’s exit, the 36-year-old now stands as one of two remaining Republican candidates. Stewart has thrown her support behind Fazio, perhaps best known for his crusades against Connecticut’s high energy costs, a move that could help consolidate support among party delegates.

Fazio first spoke with News 8’s Chief Political Correspondent Mike Cerulli on Thursday.

“Listen, I expect to fight on this campaign all the way through,” Fazio said. “I don’t expect anything; I’m entitled to nothing. I need to earn everything as a candidate, and our campaign has that exact attitude. So, we’re gonna work extraordinarily hard every single day to win the support, to earn the support of every single Republican delegate, every single Republican primary voter, and every single voter irrespective of their background or their party affiliation in November. This is too important not to.”

The other remaining Republican candidate is 77-year-old Betsy McCaughey, the cable TV host and former New York lieutenant governor. Can she secure 15% of the delegates this Saturday and automatically trigger a primary?

“I’ve been calling Erin Stewart’s delegates all day, and in fact, I want to call Erin Stewart, expressing my concern and saying I wish her and her family well,” McCaughey told News 8’s Chief Political Anchor Dennis House. “This is a difficult time. And then I’ve called many of Erin Stewart’s delegates, and I’m sure I’ll reach all of them and meet with them tomorrow. And I’m asking, please join me in launching the Connecticut comeback.”

Stay with News 8 on air and online all day Saturday as we bring the vote count and let you know if we are heading for a primary showdown in August.