Bad fence builder has no defense for Wolchek

FOX 2 - Here comes a fence man going on the 'of-fense.'

"I'm with my son bro. You haven't called me so don't even start this right now," he said.

His name is James Goin - and he's 'goin' to let FOX 2 know he can't believe Rob Wolchek is so rude as to bust him in front of his kid.

"You don't approach people when they're with their kid," he said. "Get out of here. Call me."

Wolchek: "Listen. You've been taking money from a bunch of people and not completing the jobs - so don't give me some moral ethics bs."

What's James Goin getting mad at Wolchek for? He's supposed to be building fences for his customers.

Wolchek: "Has he ever done anything?"

"No," said Kathy. "The only time he's stepped foot on this property was to come and get his deposit."

"This guy is really just a big con artist," said Connie.

This fence contractor has more unfinished jobs than a picket fence has pickets.

"He gave me one excuse after another as to why he couldn't be there and what he had to do," Mary said.

"I think he is a crook," said Doug.

But the fence man? He has no interest in mending fences.

"I can't wait for my day in court," James said.

That's good because James Goin may not have to wait for long.

Wolchek: "So you took money out of your 401k to pay for this?"

Paul: "Right."

Janice: "Yep."

Wolchek: "Five thousand bucks?"

Paul: "Five thousand."

Paul and Janice live in Southgate. They wanted to replace their fence,  so they hired a fence contractor who lives two blocks away - James Goin of Infinity Fence and Deck.

They signed the contract in June, but every time James Goin said he'd start the job - he didn't.

Janice: "No call no show."

After months of waiting, Paul had enough of the dude two streets over.

Wolchek: "So you went to his house and what happened?"

Paul: "I knocked on the door. Nobody answered. His garage door was open. The lights were on, nobody came out."

Joe lives in Southgate, too.  

Joe: "I gave him a $1,342.50 deposit."

He and the guy next door went in halves to have James Goin build a fence. Look, he did a good job.

So he didn't hesitate to use the guy again when his neighbor on the other side decided to go in halves on a fence as well.

Together, they paid $2,600 but, there's no privacy fence there.  After waiting all year he wanted his money back.

James' response?

Joe reads the text: "I will not receive a refund on my deposit that I've given him until he 'speaks with whomever he needs to speak with.' His exact words."

Wolchek: "Who the hell is that? What does that mean?" .

Joe then filed suit. But James doesn't just allegedly cheat people around the corner.

Kathy lives in Riverview and shared her story.

Wolchek: "How much did you give him?"

Kathy: "Forty-six hundred dollars. And he cashed my check,"

And some of his customers haven't just been waiting this year.

Wolchek: "So, you gave this guy the money not this summer, last summer?"

Kathy: "Yep,  2023."

Kathy and her husband Nick paid James Goin close to a $5,000 deposit to tear out their old fence and put in a new one. He hasn't done a thing.

Kathy says among his excuses was 'he' had family members with cancer.

"His mom is on hospice. His mother-in-law is on hospice," Kathy said.

And while that's sad - here's what's worse.

"Since August of 2023 I've been dealing with colon cancer," said Doug. "I've had multiple surgeries where I was in the hospital for numerous days, unable to do much but I was still working every single day."

Wolchek: "You gave him $5,000."

"Five thousand five hundred. I've seen zip for it," said Connie.

Connie lives in Dearborn Heights. She hired Infinity Fence in 2023 as well.

"He said I'll do it first thing next year, so I know he could have started in April this year and I waited and he didn't call me," she said. "I called him and it's been a pile of excuses ever since."

She accused James of ripping her off and according to her, he said:  "'Oh no. I didn't steal any money,'" Connie said. "Well I don't know what his definition of stealing is."

Next up, Mary, who says she paid James $4,500.

"May 20th I gave it. He cashed it the same day," she said.

Mary is now suing James.

Duane is ready to fight as well.

"I'm comin' after you. I want my money," he said.

Another customer, another victim.

"I'm retired. I can't afford to lose $2,750," Duane said.

So what's James Goin doing?  Well, Wolchek never saw the guy doing any work. His trucks are there pretty much at his home 24/7.

He pops his head out of his garage occasionally, and once we followed him to a gas station for a snack break - but a break from what, Wolchek doesn't know.

Finally, he leaves - but he doesn't go put up a fence. He goes to Kroger, this is Wolchek's only chance.

Wolchek:" Hi there James."

James: "I'm with my son bro. You haven't called me so don't even start this right now. I'm with my son here."

Wolchek: "Well tell your son to get in the car, I need to talk to you."

James: "You haven't called me. I called you twice, you never got back to me."

Wolchek: "You never called me."

James: "Yes I have."

That's a flat-out lie - Wolchek checked the phone records.

James: "Will you call me? There's no judgments, there's no nothin'."

Wolchek: "Well there may be - don't you think?"

James: "No, there won't be - I promise you."

Wolchek: "What's going on with this?"

James: "I gotta go get my other kid from the bus stop so you give me a call and we'll talk okay? I promise you. I can't wait for my day in court. Have a good day."

Wolchek: "Why are you not doing these jobs, James? Here's my card."

Back at the station, Wolchek calls James Goin and he gives permission to record him for broadcast.

James: "I've never done nobody wrong ever. I don't plan on doing nobody wrong and I'm not going to do anybody wrong. That's a fact."

Wolchek: "Well, it seems you've done all these people wrong."

James: "I start going through his unhappy customers one by one."

Wolchek: "You got Mary Parrino. Supposed to be done by July."

James: "I don't understand how people can go to you and not come to me and give opportunities."

Wolchek: "I don't think that's what's happening."

James: "They're not returning my calls."

Wolchek: "Oh, I don't think so James."

Remember, Wolchek has tons of texts from his customers - James put them off, time and again.

He says 'He's mad' at Joe for writing bad stuff about him on Facebook.

Wolchek: "So even though the guy went to the Facebook group and complained about you, you still gotta do the job. You took his money."

James: "Of course I do, and I should be given the right to go do the job."

Wolchek: "Well, go do the job!"

James Goin never gave any real reason for not completing any of the jobs.

Wolchek: "Kathy Mullen?"

James: "I can't speak on that. What else you got?"

Wolchek: "Next you got Connie Haynes. Connie Haynes from Dearborn."

James: "I can't speak on that one either."

Wolchek: "Why don't you just give these people their money back?"

James: "That's a question that's going to get handled differently. I mean, it's not that cut and dry."

Here's what is cut and dry. James Goin has been arrested by Southgate police and charged with three felony counts of taking money under false pretenses.  

Poor James Goin, a lot has happened in the week since Wolchek confronted him in the Kroger parking lot.

Goin, Goin, gone!  You're in the Hhhhhhall of Shame!"

 

Hall of Shame