"It's not just a house; it's our home."

UPDATE
November, 2000
Recently, I was informed that Rita Arrington had told someone that my husband and I had taken her and her huband to court, but that they had won the court case.
This is false.
Summer 2002
Ray Arrington was recently charged with one felony count of embezzlement by a contractor and he and his wife have a money judgement against them for over 10,000 dollars from T.H. Rogers Lumber Company
READ ON

On or around September 8, 1999, I telephoned Rita Arrington of R & R Remodeling after seeing an advertisement on our local cable channel 4. I explained to Mrs. Arrington that my husband and I were seeking a contractor to enclose a carport to be used as a bedroom and bath and pour a concrete circle drive and an additional drive-way at our residence. She made an appointment for her and her husband, Ray, to come the following day to view the existing structure and give estimates.

On September 9, 1999, Ray and Rita Arrington came to our house and visited with me. At that time, Ray Arrington stated that he was a licensed general contractor with over 20 years of experience. When asked if he would be able to also handle the plumbing for a bathroom, Arrington stated that he was also a licensed plumber. On that day, Arrington was also asked who would acquire any building permits needed from the City of Durant. He assured me that as the contractor, it was his job to handle any permits needed for the job. Before leaving, the following estimates were given verbally as well as in Mrs. Arrington�s handwriting on the back of a business card.
Room Add-on........................................$4,500.00
Concrete Drive.........................................3,600.00
Sidewalk Replacement..........................250.00
Siding Replacement........materials: 700.00 labor: 800.00
Room addition price does not include: windows, siding, doors, or shower

On September 11, 1999, an email was sent to Ray and Rita Arrington ([email protected]) from Larry and Sandee Nixon ([email protected]) to clarify in writing the estimates given and to also ask questions that Mr. Nixon had.

After my husband met with the Arringtons, we entered into a verbal agreement with them to remodel our carport. On September 16, 1999, I wrote a check to Rita Arrington for the amount of $2,250.00. Mrs. Arrington asked that all payments be written �paid to the order of Rita Arrington� and not to R & R Remodeling. The following day, the Arrington�s delivered approximately $800.00 worth of lumber to our residence.
My husband�s plans included building a storage barn behind our house because the carport enclosure would take away some of our storage area. He had begun preliminary work on the barn, when the Arrington�s arrived with the lumber delivery on September 17. After talking with Mr. Arrington, my husband and I, decided to contract the building of the storage building with him because my husband�s job requires him to travel and he could only work on the weekends. Arrington quoted us two separate estimates: $1,300.00 if he built the barn by his plans, and $1,600.00 if he built the barn by my husband�s plans. At that time, Ray Arrington estimated that the building would take two days to build.
On September 18, 1999, a check in the amount of $1,000 was written to Rita Arrington to purchase materials for the storage building and the remodeling of the carport was put on hold. On September 21, 1999, Rita Arrington came to me and told me that the materials for the storage building had cost them a bit more than they had anticipated and asked if she could amend the contract and the price of the storage building to $1,900.00. I allowed this and wrote her out a check in the amount of $300.00 to cover the rest of the materials needed.

damage caused by Arrington to the existing driveway

I had gone to neighborhood parents and explained that we were about to begin some construction. I asked them to please speak with their children about staying away from our yard and the dangerous tools. Arrington never roped off the construction site and also told the children that he didn�t mind them playing around the yard.
On September 22, 1999, Mrs. Arrington came once again, this time asking for a partial draw on the labor saying that Mr. Arrington�s aunt had passed away and they needed money to travel to Gainesville, Texas to attend family functions and the funeral. A check was written paid to the order of Rita Arrington in the amount of $300.00. Finally, on October 1, 1999, the job on the storage building was completed and another check was written to Rita Arrington in the amount of $300.00. A job that Ray Arrington claimed would take two days, took a two weeks. Arrington said this was because one of his workers quit and he had to work with only one inexperienced hand. He also reminded us that part of the delay was due to a death in the family.
During the building of the storage barn, Mr. Arrington stated that the City Inspector came by and looked the building over. Arrington said that the Inspector asked him if he had obtained a building permit. Arrington said he jokingly told the Inspector that the building was �portable�. He said the City Inspector just laughed and left. Arrington referred to the City Inspector as a �joke�.
On October 2, my husband was adding some decking and shelving to the storage building that Arrington had just completed. My husband stepped on a board used as a brace and it broke under his weight. Larry weighs around 210 pounds and the board should not have given way. He checked several of the boards and found that others were weak and broke. At our expense, we replaced these boards. When told of this lumber, Mr. Arrington stated that the lumber had been purchased at T.H.. Rogers Lumber Company in Durant and that they were known for selling bad lumber to contractors.
The following Monday, Arrington started work on the carport enclosure. He claimed that this job would take him around 5 to 7 days because it would be so much easier than the storage building. The job took over a month and was not done satisfactorily.
Because my husband�s job requires him to be out of town and I teach out of town and am away from the house, we asked my brother-in-law to drop by occasionally and supervise Arrington�s work. We gave my brother-in-law the authority to ask any question he deemed necessary. When Arrington began to pour concrete to level the carport floor, he asked the procedure he would be using. Ray became angry and threatened to quit on the spot. The following day, I explained to Arrington that my brother-in-law was there with our authority to serve as a supervisor.
Even after �leveling� the carport floor, there were several low places. Mr. Arrington noted these and claimed that he would later fix them. He left them unattended when he finished the work. My husband had to fix them at our expense.

My original plan drawing called for a 10 x 16 bedroom, a 4 x 10 hallway, and the conversion of the utility closet into a bath with shower, toilet, lavatory, and a walk-in closet. Any changes in these plans were at the recommendation of Ray Arrington. When mentioning these changes, neither Ray nor Rita Arrington ever mentioned additional cost for the items suggested; however, they later complained about the cost of the additional materials and claimed that we demanded these things.
The Arringtons had been informed that they were not to enter our home without one of us there, and if we could not be contacted, they were given phone numbers for my brother-in-law and my father-in-law. While doing electrical work, they went to my daughter�s baby-sitter and claimed there was an �electrical emergency� and demanded my daughter�s house key. The �electrical emergency� was that they had thrown a breaker switch. This I believe could have waited until I came home from work which would have been within the hour.
During the course of the job, my husband asked Arrington again about city permits. Arrington told my husband that the inspector had been to our residence to check things over., and stated that everything had been approved. Again, he referred to the City Inspector as a �joke�.
On October 15, 1999, Rita Arrington came to my residence asking for a partial draw on the labor charges. She claimed that they needed to pay their worker and had bills of their own to pay. She asked for the amount of $500.00 and at that time, told me that the job would be completed by the weekend. At that time, I asked her how much Ray would charge if he were to paint the room for us. She stated that she would have to talk to him and get back to me. Later that evening, I found them working and asked Ray myself about the cost to paint the room. He told me that if I could buy the paint right then, he could simply mix it with the texture and it would be no charge to paint the walls. I quickly went to Wal Mart and purchased five gallons of paint.
Two days later, on October 20, 1999, Rita Arrington once again came to me asking for a partial draw on the cost of the labor. This time, she requested $1,000.00, and as usual, asked that the check be made �paid to the order of Rita Arrington� instead of R & R Remodeling. During this conversation, Ray mentioned that if I could go ahead and pay the initial payment on the drive-way work, he could save us $200.00 because he would only have to rent the back-hoe machinery for one day.

damage to the trim of our house caused by the backhoe

Because I was about to leave on vacation, Mr. Arrington assured me that the room would and drive-way both could be completed by Wednesday, October 20th. He stated that he could dig the tunnel for the sewer line and grade the land for the driveways in one day, and that he would be able to put up forms for the drive way while the wall texture and ceilings dried. As usual, Arrington�s plans did not work out. The backhoe sat in my front yard for seven days at a cost of $188.00 a day. The job had not been completed when I left for vacation.
On Friday, October 22, 1999, while my husband and I were both away from the house, Ray Arrington had Rustins Concrete deliver 18 1/2 yards of concrete. They poured it on land that had not been completely graded or level. Mr. Arrington tried to work the concrete by hand with two inexperienced workers he had just hired for the day. Only a small section of the driveway had the steel wire reinforcement under it. And the levels of concrete were very uneven . Some areas were 5� thick, while others were less than 1� thick.
On Saturday, October 23, Arrington came to talk to my husband about the job. Both Arrington and my husband agreed that the concrete job was unsatisfactory. Arrington claimed that the reason was that Rustins concrete had delivered cement with too much calcium in it. He further stated that Rustins admitted guilt and would replace the concrete free of charge. He agreed to bust up the drive way and repour at a later date.
My husband and his brother visited with representatives from Rustins Concrete and they claimed that they did not accept blame and would not replace the concrete. They also informed us that the Arringtons had not used the money we gave them to purchase the concrete, but had instead charged it. A bill that would have been due November 10.
While digging a tunnel for the sewer, Arrington had to remove the existing sidewalk. When he did this, he caused damage to the brick wall at the front of the residence causing structural damage. Arrington claims that he can only repair this damage to the bricks when and if he pours the front sidewalk.

On November 3, 1999, Arrington finally finished with the carport enclosure. Although there were several imperfections, we were ready to be rid of him. Rita Arrington asked at that time that we reimburse Ray for a bathroom light/heater/fan that he had purchased. A check for $ 86.00 was written, as well as the final amount of $750.00. We assumed they would hasten to complete the drive way work.
Two days later, Ray Arrington showed up with a rented jackhammer and began to bust up the drive way. According to neighbors, he worked only a couple of hours before leaving for the day. On Tuesday, November the 9th, I phoned Mrs. Arrington to inquire why work had not been done that day. She informed me that they had spent the day in Gainesville, Texas taking care of �personal business� dealing with Ray�s ex-wife and his children. She told me that Ray�s kids were more important to him than any job. Being a parent, I accepted this excuse with the assurance that some work would be done the next day.
Once again, Arrington made no attempt to rope off the construction site and even left the jackhammer out. The busted concrete was a hazzard to anyone who entered our yard. I finally went and purchased caution tape and roped off the area myself.
On Wednesday, November the 10th, before 7:00 a.m., two of Mr. Arrington�s workers showed up and began to run the jackhammer. As I was leaving for work, I went and asked the worker who I recognized what Ray�s plans were, and if he knew what his time frame was at this point. He told me that Arrington planned to pour the cement the following day. I asked him to please inform Ray that my husband wanted to be present when the concrete was poured. I also mentioned the fact that Arrington had stated that Rustins would pour the concrete for free, and Rustins said that was not so. I apologized to the worker if I had sounded belligerent, and left for work. According to neighbors, the workers left shortly after I did, taking the jackhammer and equipment with them.
That afternoon, I called Rita Arrington to inquire why the work was not done. She was irritated that I had discussed their financial affairs with her employees. She stated that I had been confrontational with her workers, and she stated that they thought I said that no work should be done without my husband there. At that time, we exchanged words. I simply stated that they job had been taking way longer than had been promised. She said that any delays had been our fault because we had been too �picky� and had been �too critical� of Ray�s work. I ended the conversation by hanging up on her.
On Thursday, November 11, 1999, no one from R & R remodeling showed up for work. When I returned home from work that day, I telephoned the City Inspector�s office to inquire about permits. I was informed that not only did Ray Arrington never apply for any permits for 2202 Hillcrest Court, but that City Codes state that only a licensed plumbing contractor can do plumbing within the city limits and must have a permit for any work done. The City Inspector recommended that I contact a licensed plumbing contractor to do a visual inspection of the property as soon as possible.
Also on Thursday, November 11, 1999, my husband phoned Ray Arrington to inquire why they were not here working on the driveway debris. He left a message on the answering machine stating that if the job was not finished, he would be forced to seek legal action. Later that evening, I telephoned Mr. Arrington and he informed me that he had taken the answering machine tape to his lawyer and had intentions of suing my husband for �threatening him.� At that time, I made an offer to Ray Arrington to end the contract that we had with him. Attached is an email that I later sent to confirm, in writing, my offer to them. We have yet to hear from them.
On Friday, November 12, I contacted my prepaid legal representatives from Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison, and Lewis in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to find out what my legal options are. I was advised to get all work inspected to see what it would take to get all work within city regulations , and appraisals of repair to the damage caused by the Arringtons. I also faxed copies of all emails and contracts to their office.
On Saturday, November 13, 1999, we hired a licensed plumbing contractor to do a visual inspection of bathroom. He noted that there is no vent per plumbing codes for the bathroom group. He also suspected that there was no trap on the shower, although the only way to tell is to pull the shower from the wall damaging the drywall and floors.
By Monday, November 15, 1999, our front yard was completely torn up and covered with large sections of broken concrete.

It is a hazzard for anyone to attempt to come to our front door.

The front wall of our home has busted bricks and might fall at any moment.
The plumbing is improperly vented and might cause fumes to enter our home.
We contacted an actual licensed contractor for estimates to repair the damages caused by Arrinton. to repair the brick wall will cost approximately $975.00. The price of cleaning up the concrete exceeds $1,000.00.
On or around November 16, Arrington phoned and stated that he wanted to complete the job and asked if we could come to some agreement. We discussed certain conditions at that time; however, I asked Arrington to put his understanding of an agreement in writing via an email due to former misunderstandings. Arrington stated at that time that he was working on another job and could not begin the work until November 29. He estimated that the job would take approximately 10 days, stating that the only reasons he would not work would be rain, sleet, or snow.
On November 29, 1999, the date Arrington was to begin work, he did not show up. Mrs. Arrington phoned my house and told my oldest daughter that she and her husband had spent all day at the City Inspector�s office obtaining permits. My husband had already obtained the permits. I telephoned the city inspector and he stated that Mrs. Arrington came to his office alone and was there less than thirty minutes.
On November 30, 1999, Arrington still did not show up on the work site. This time, Mrs. Arrington stated that the reason was that they were unable to rent the jackhammer equipment needed. I telephoned Durant Rental Center and was informed that the jackhammer wasn�t available on that day, but that the Arrington�s made no effort to secure it for the following day.
December 1, 1999, Mrs. Arrington�s reason for her husband not coming to work was that the weather conditions were �rainy� which made it dangerous for him to run the jackhammer for he might risk electrocution.
It became apparent that Arrington had no intentions of fulfilling his agreement to complete the work he had started or repairing the damage to the house. I stopped calling to hear the excuses Mrs. Arrington had.
Mid December, I once again telephoned the Arringtons and asked that they return the $1800.00 that we had paid them. At that time, I did not ask for any money to repair the damages that they had caused. Mrs. Arrington stated that Ray was ill and she would discuss the matter with him and get back with me.
On Monday, December 20, 1999, Rita Arrington phoned me and stated that Ray was in the Veterans Hospital in Bonham, Texas awaiting heart surgery. She said that if I wanted a refund of the money, I would have to wait until January 10, 2000 for Arrington to be released from the hospital, because he was the only one able to obtain money on their credit card. She also stated that Ray would still like to complete the job, but would be unable to start until he was released by his doctors.
On that date, I filed a suit in small claims court against both Ray and Rita Arrington of R & R Remodeling for the amount of $3,895.00. This was to cover the $1800 we paid them in advance to pour the drive-way, $1,000 for the demolition and disposal of the concrete, and $975 to repair the brick wall destroyed by Ray Arrington. On the same date, papers were served to Mrs. Arrington, who, according to the process server, chased him to his car and tried to place the papers on his windshield. He retrieved them and once again served her.
On January, 14, 2000, the case was heard in the Bryan County Court. Although properly served with notification, the Arringtons DID NOT show up to defend themselves. Therefore, judgement was set in the amount of $3,999.00 (damages plus court cost). Without further expensive legal actions, though, we have no way in which to make the Arringtons pay.

In February of 2000, My husband and I asked for an Asset Hearing in an attempt to collect money from the Arringtons. This time, the Arringtons did make an appearance; however, they came to state that they had no means by which to pay their debt. Mrs. Arrington claimed that she was only working part time at the Sonic in Durant, and that her husband was disabled and unable to work under the order of doctors. The Arringtons listed their total assets as being worth less than 10,000 dollars and claimed to be heavily in debt. At that time, they refused to sign any papers agreeing to a payment plan. Ray Arrington stated that if we pursued the issue any further, he would simply declare bankruptcy. Rita Arrington stated that is we attempted to garnish her wages, she would simply quit whatever job she had at the time. Without legal advisors, we had no choice but to walk away with nothing at the time. However, we were later informed that the judgement in our favor will honored for five years, and can be renewed for another five after that. True to her word, when we had the Sonic Drive-in served with papers to garnish Rita Arrington's salary, she quit. And while Arrington was supposably under doctor's orders not to work, we saw him almost daily doing some sort of carpentry job in various sections of Durant.
UPDATE
My husband, with the help of his brothers, has spent many of his weekends working long hours to repair the damage that Arrington caused to our home. We have been out a great deal of money, and suffered much frustration. And there is still more to do. However, our house is looking alittle more like home again.

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