GRAY, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A couple from Gray said a local contractor took $140-thousand from them and never completed the two contracted projects.
Now, the business they were working with has closed its doors and the owner can't be found.
"We see stories and we think, 'How do people get in those situations?' And now we know," said the homeowner, Tim Phinney.
When the Phinneys decided to add a garage to their home, they did some research and contacted Maine Contractors Group in Topsham.
"We gave 1/3 down when we signed on July 27th, then another 1/3 down when the supplies were delivered," said Tim's wife, Kelly.
Company owner, Lance Baker, even offered to take on rebuilding the Phinney's camp near Moosehead Lake, which again, required 1/3 down and another 1/3 for supplies.
"Materials never showed," said Tim. "We went as far as contacting the local lumber companies and nobody has any record of him ordering the supplies."
It wasn't then, last week, they realized something had gone wrong, "Tuesday [the workers] came back and braced that a little extra, and then they left, and that was it."
The workers had gone, along with the Phinney's $140-thousand; leaving an empty lot at camp, and a slab of concrete with some plywood walls in Gray.
After a few phone calls, Kelly says she finally heard from Baker, "I got a text from Lance saying he was so sorry, they're in a horrible spot, they've lost funding, I need to hire a lawyer."
And that's the last they've heard from the owner. According to the Better Business Bureau, Baker's company has gone out of business, and any phone number traced back to him or his company has been disconnected.
NEWS CENTER knocked on Baker's door in Litchfield, but he didn't answer. We also reached out to his attorney, who said he had no comment.
Meanwhile, the Phinneys say they only stand to lose more to the lumber companies Baker still owes, "Those people could potentially put a lien on our house, even though we had already paid. They didn't get paid."
The Phinneys said they won't pursue legal action, partly because they don't expect much out of it, and because they're using what little they have left to finish the garage before the winter.
"It just makes you sick to your stomach, I have no appetite, I can't sleep. That could be all three of our girls' college education," said Kelly.
Both she and her husband urge anyone who may have had a similar experience with Maine Contractors Group, LLC to contact the Attorney General's Office.
