Three Suffolk County homeowners told News 12 Long Island they paid a Mount Sinai contractor tens of thousands of dollars for remodeling work that was either poorly done or never finished. The contractor, Gurpreet Singh, who also goes by "Harry," runs a company called BuildRite Pro, and he disputes their account (via News 12 Long Island). These are allegations. News 12 reported no criminal charges.
Monon Brown of West Babylon told the station she paid a $25,000 deposit and then another $25,000, about $50,000 in all, for a kitchen remodel. She said a new tile floor went in, then the work stalled, and she's been left without a stove or refrigerator. A second homeowner, identified only as Marlene, said she handed over tens of thousands of dollars for work she says was poorly done or never finished. Elaine Robles said she paid $15,000 in cash.
All three said they had to hire other contractors to finish the jobs, and in some cases to fix problems they blame on BuildRite Pro.
According to News 12, the company used to operate as Bawa Construction Group, which carries an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau. The station said BuildRite Pro's listed business address appeared to be a mailbox inside a UPS Store, and reporters couldn't find Singh at his Mount Sinai home.
Singh's name also appears on Suffolk County's contractor "Wall of Shame," and county officials told News 12 he was cited for working as an unlicensed plumber. The county's Department of Consumer Affairs runs that registry so the public can look up people in county-licensed trades who were fined for working without a valid license, had a license revoked, or were convicted of fraud or theft against customers.
Multiple complaints have been filed with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, which wouldn't confirm or deny an investigation, the station reported. Two former customers say they've sued BuildRite Pro.
Singh pushed back on the homeowners' account. He told News 12 he didn't cut off communication, that he'd been in the hospital and intended to come back and finish the projects. When customers asked for refunds, he said the money had already been spent.
Why it matters for Contractors
Stories like this hurt every honest contractor on Long Island, because each one makes the next homeowner more suspicious of a deposit request. The best defense is to make your own legitimacy easy to check. Keep your Suffolk County license current, point customers to the county's online contractor search at ca.suffolkcountyny.gov/dcasearch, and put your license number on your contracts and estimates.
It's also a reminder to keep deposits and payment schedules tied to work that's actually in place, in writing, so there's never a question about where a customer's money went. And if you're the contractor called in to finish or fix one of these jobs, document what you found before you start. Photos and a written scope protect you if the dispute ends up in court.