Toronto retirees say life savings lost after door-to-door reno pitch

Two weeks ago, Robin Rushton was doing yard work outside his Scarborough home when he was approached by a man who asked if he wanted his chimney capped.

Rushton and his partner, Judy Poirier, who are both 73-year-old retired teachers, agreed to pay for the service, which can protect a chimney from animals and the elements.

"We had been wanting to do this for a while," Poirier said. "The guy said $800. So we thought, 'Great, sure, go ahead.'"

That decision kicked off a series of events that Poirier says led to the couple losing their life savings. 

Over a period of days, Porter said three individuals associated with a company called Eagle Eye Roofing and Masonry noticed other things on the property that needed to be fixed, starting with their deck, which they agreed to sand and finish for $2,500.

While completing the chimney work, one worker said he identified damage on the roof. Originally, it was just the shingles that needed to be replaced. Then, more senior workers  — a roofer and an "inspector" — claimed to notice more extensive problems requiring structural repairs that would cost $62,000 for materials and labour.

Over the next two days, Poirier said that quote rose steadily to beyond $100,000. 

Poirier said the men used "very heavy scare tactics" to convince the homeowners that they needed to do the work immediately or their roof was going to cave in.

"He used the words that there was damp wood, rotting wood, broken wood, mould. The roof was going to collapse. It was dangerous. Winter is coming," Poirier said. 

"We were terrified. We thought, 'Oh my God, this is a blessing in disguise that this happened, because imagine if the roof had fallen in on us.'"

In total, the teachers said they paid $800 for the chimney, $1,500 to refurbish their deck, and paid a $5,000 deposit for the shingle replacement, all in cash.

When the contractors said additional work on the roof needed to be done, they requested Poirier give the contractor a $40,000 bank draft. Rushton also provided a bank draft of his own for $30,000.

The bank drafts were made out to a person they had never met — not the roofing company or its employees. Poirier said she thought the person was the individual supplying the materials or an architectural firm doing design work.

CBC Toronto was not able to locate the individual who received the $70,000 in bank drafts.