Cape Coral man loses $10k to unlicensed...

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The contractor quoted them $27,000 for a new pool cage.

Carlos Rivera, trusting the process, paid a deposit of $10,500 on the spot.

According to the contract, installation would take 21 to 24 weeks—a delay Rivera understood, given the circumstances after the storm.

Watch senior reporter Emily Young's report here:

However, months went by with no progress. “For eight months, nobody from Alumabay LLC came back to the house or answered my calls,” Rivera said. Eventually, the company’s owner, Aaron Hardgrove, appeared—and this time, he demanded an additional $3,000 to complete the job.

Rivera’s concerns grew when Hardgrove insisted on being paid in cash.

“I asked him about other options like a bank note or money order,” Rivera said. “He told me, ‘No, I only take cash.’ That’s when red flags started going up. I got online to verify his license—and found out he doesn’t have one.”

A closer look into Hardgrove’s record revealed a troubling history. Court documents show he has been arrested twice in Charlotte County on charges of fraud and unlicensed contracting during a state of emergency. His Better Business Bureau profile lists an "F" rating and numerous complaints from other victims - some of whom claim they lost as much as $24,000.

Rivera, resigned to the fact that he will likely never recover his $10,500, has shifted his focus to warning others. “I’m hoping to expose this person,” he said. “People need to be careful and do their research.”

Attempts to locate Hardgrove at the Punta Gorda address listed in state documents were unsuccessful.

Instead, FOX 4 found his father, who stated he hadn’t spoken to his son in a year.