Backlog of complaints against contractors [Katrina]

WDSU reports about citizens who have been screwed by contractors in post-Katrina New Orleans (here, here).

Unfortunately, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors has limited capacity:

For nearly three weeks, NewsChannel 6 has tried to get the Louisiana State Licensing Board Of Contractors to walk through the Gentilly homes with the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office.

"We have 25 investigators statewide," said Licensing Board Administrator Frances Gilson. "We have more than we can possibly get to, and I apologize that no one called you back, but we have been really busy."

And it doesn't help that the state budget is kind of tight days.

And,

The Licensing Board said that, because el Amin has a commercial license, he's exempt from needing a home improvement registration for work between $7,500 and $75,000.

The amounts Charles and Williams each paid are within that range.

"That means that on these three cases, there's not a lot that the board can do at this point, because of the way the law is written," Gilson said.

Maybe we should call our legislators - to get them to do something to empower the board to take some sort of action. Posted by MBC at December 21, 2008 02:24 PM