Area Residents Fall Victim Of Bad Business

By NICK YAMASHITA

Moapa Valley Progress

Upset, angry, devastated, frustrated. These were the emotions expressed by a group of area residents who thought they were hiring a licensed contractor to build a fence on their property. Most of them reported having put down a hefty deposit, only to have the company disappear without completing the promised fence.

Terry Dodd, who recently moved to Overton, said that she had noticed some signs posted around town advertising fencing services. So she called the phone number listed to get an estimate on work she needed done.

“The businessman I spoke to identified himself as Berklee Holm,” Dodd said. “He came and did an estimate and then came back the next day and got started on it.”

Dodd said that Holm brought a crew of youngsters and set them to work putting in the posts for the fence. After the posts were placed Holm asked Dodd for a deposit of 50% of the total estimate to get the supplies needed to finish the project.

“I gave him the 50% which was $3700,” Dodd said. “When the time came for him to come back to finish, he didn’t show up.”

That all happened in early December. Dodd said that she has tried to contact Holm over 30 times since that time and has not received an answer or a call back.

“We were able to get him to answer once, but when he heard who it was, he immediately hung up,” Dodd said.

Mike Fagnon of Beaver Dam, AZ told a very similar story about Holm. In his case, Holm didn’t even get the posts installed.
“He took me for $3100,” Fagnon said. “I dealt with him back on October 31 and I still haven’t gotten anything done pertaining to any fencing like he promised.”

These two are not the only complaints against Holm. Several other local residents who wished to remain anonymous reported having been victim to Holm’s practices including people in Overton and in Mesquite. One couple from Scenic, Arizona reported that Holm had been going house to house in their neighborhood doing free estimates for fencing.

According to the Utah Business License Registry, Holm has an active business license for Valley Fence and Design, LLC. based out of Cedar City, Utah. But the location for the business specified as 2316 W. Cove View in Cedar City is listed as “permanently closed.”.

On the Better Business Bureau of Utah website, the company has a rating grade of “F” and has four complaints listed against the business. These complaints relate a similar story as the ones told by Dodd and Fagnon.

Formal complaints have been filed against Holm with local law enforcement. Fagnon said he filed a report with the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona. And Dodd filed a report with the Metropolitan Police Department at the Overton substation

Local Metro Officer Mark Harding, who is investigating the case said that he was able to contact Holm by phone.
“We gave him an ultimatum to take care of and fix the situation by Tuesday, January 21,” Harding said.

“But Mr. Holm did not show and he did not take care of the situation. We have been given the greenlight to pursue the case further.”

Harding also issued a caution to local residents when dealing with businesses professing themselves as licensed contractors. “Do your research!” he said. “Perform a background check on the business. Ask for a business card and proof of a business license. Ask around about the business and the businessman. Get referrals from people you trust. You can never be too careful when doing business with people.”