PITTSBURGH -- Pennsylvania has a new law that's supposed to protect consumers from questionable contractors.

But a Team 4 investigation has revealed the law is not working the way it's supposed to.

Investigative Reporter Paul Van Osdol looked into the situation. What follows is a transcript of his report:

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The law requires contractors to disclose any legal judgments, criminal history or bankruptcies. Consumers are supposed to be able to find that information on a Web site run by the attorney general's office.

But Team 4 found contractors failing to disclose critical information -- and the attorney general is not catching them.

When the Mackey family needed their Squirrel Hill house painted, they hired Kraft Painting of Munhall.

Michele Mackey: "We had the painting done in August. By the spring it was peeling."

So she called company owner William Kraft repeatedly.

Michele Mackey: "He made a date, never even showed up and at that point I decided to do something about it."

She went to court and won this judgment against Kraft. And in the past decade, seven other people have gotten judgments against Kraft Painting.

All that information is supposed to be available for consumers here on Attorney General Tom Corbett's contractor registration Web site.

Tom Corbett: "We have made this site user friendly and accessible with multiple search functions."

But look what happens when you type in Kraft Painting and click on the "background information" tab -- nothing.

Paul Van Osdol: "Your judgment against him is nowhere to be seen. What do you think about that?"

Michele Mackey: "Then why is there a law? If someone has a lot of judgments against them, I think it's pretty indicative that you want to stay away from them. And I'd want to know that."

Company owner William Kraft declined an on-camera interview but said by phone that he did not realize he was required to disclose judgments.

He's not alone. Team 4 checked 12 local contractors that -- like Kraft -- get F ratings from the Better Business Bureau. In nine cases they had civil judgments that were not disclosed on the attorney general's Web site.

One of them is Swimming Pool Discounters, which has offices in New Castle and here on Babcock Boulevard in Ross. Christina Teimouri won an $8,000 judgment against the company last year after a botched installation of her family's pool.

Christina Teimouri: "It was a nightmare. A two-year-long nightmare that we're still living with."

When the pool was filled, the contractor left 6-inch-deep footprints at the bottom. Teimouri -- a podiatrist -- worries her children could twist an ankle.

Christina Teimouri: "It's dangerous. It's embarrassing. You know you have friends over, you want to enjoy a pool not worry about who's going to hurt themselves."

But when you check Swimming Pool Discounters on the attorney general's Web site there's no indication of any judgment.

Company owner Dale Kleiner -- reached by phone -- blamed a former employee for the botched pool job and said he did not know he had to disclose the judgment to the state.

Teimouri said the public should know what happened to her.

Christina Teimouri: "It's terrible that other people will trust this attorney general's Web site thinking that's a legitimate, truthful source and they're not getting the information they need."

Team 4 even found one registered contractor -- Ray Electric -- whose owner has a criminal history that was not disclosed.

Owner James E. Ray has convictions for burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy. In one case he was convicted of printing bogus lottery tickets in the name of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

But none of that information is on the attorney general's website even though the law requires contractors to disclose any convictions for "theft, fraud or a crime of deception."

Ray declined to comment.

Team 4 made multiple requests to interview Corbett -- a candidate for governor and who has an office here downtown. But his spokesman said he was not available.

Earlier this year Corbett had this to say about the contractor law: "This legislation will give us new tools to identify and prosecute problem contractors, while also helping consumers avoid frustration and potentially expensive problems in the future."

But after we brought our findings to Rep. Joe Preston of East Liberty -- a driving force behind the contractor law - he said he was concerned enough that he will hold hearings.

Paul Van Osdol: "You're going to try to do something about it.

Joe Preston: "We're not going to try. We are going to do something about it.

Paul Van Osdol: "And what would you like to see happen?"

Joe Preston: "Well all those contractors that have submitted information, it should be vetted. Consumers need to be protected."

A spokesman for Corbett told me the AG's office has been spot-checking the 57,000 registered contractors to make sure information is accurate. Earlier this year Corbett said he did not have enough money or manpower to do extensive background checks. The victims we talked to said if that's the case -- don't put up the Web site.

Here are some things in the law that consumers can use to protect themselves:

- Make sure you get a written estimate from a contractor.
- Any job that costs more than $1,000, you do not have to pay more than one-third the cost up front.
- You have three days to cancel the contract.

If you're dealing with a contractor who is not registered, or one who's failing to disclose required information, call the Attorney General's office.

The attorney general's PA Contractor Licensing web site can be found by visiting www.attorneygeneral.gov/hicsearch.

Consumers may also want to visit the Western PA Better Business Bureau at pittsburgh.bbb.org.

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