Attorney General sues Trumbull County builder

WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A shed builder in Trumbull County has been on Attorney General David Yost’s radar since early 2024 when his office started fielding complaints about the business.

It was in February that Yost decided that the complaints against Timber Creek Structures were getting out of hand and that he needed to take a closer look at what was happening. Yost said that customers complained that Timber Creek didn’t deliver promptly, didn’t issue full refunds, wouldn’t consistently answer their phone, charged excessive restocking fees and failed to adequately deliver customer service in violation of the Consumer Sales Practices Act, according to the filing .

At that time, Timber Creek entered into a voluntary agreement to stop any practices violating the Consumer Sales Practices Act and pay the $15,000 investigative fee from the Attorney General’s Office. But since then, Yost says his office has received more than 100 additional complaints.

On Wednesday, Yost filed a lawsuit against Timber Creek Structures in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Records show the agent or owner of the company as Timothy Dotson with an address in Girard. The business location is listed in Warren, according to the Better Business Bureau.

Customers said that when Timber Creek failed to deliver sheds and a refund was requested, it was not issued promptly and only partial refunds were issued, with Timber Creek imposing a restocking fee or liquidated damages clause. They also said that Timber Creek dodged their phone calls and consistently did not deliver sheds when promised, causing customers to take days off work for the failed deliveries.

In addition to the accusations of undelivered service and products, Yost also alleges that Timber Creek’s contracts are unfair, deceptive and one-sided.

Yost alleges six violations in the lawsuit:

• Failure to deliver
• Unfair contract language
• Unfair restocking fees
• Poor customer service
• Failure to provide consumer refunds in a timely manner
• Violation of an assurance of voluntary compliance

Yost is asking for a full investigation into Timber Creek’s finances at their cost and for them to immediately stop any alleged violations and immediately refund customers any money owed in full. Yost is also asking for a $25,000 penalty on each of the six counts, totaling $150,000 in addition to court costs.

WKBN 27 First News reached out to Timber Creek Structures and left a message for the owner/manager. As of this report, we have not heard back.

The Better Business Bureau shows Timber Creek Structures has an “F” rating with 241 customer complaints with 78 that are “closed.” BBB also included the following alert about Timber Creek Structures:

BBB files indicate that this business has a pattern of complaints. Consumers that had placed their orders and paid in full either did not receive their order at all or they did not receive it in a timely manner. BBB submitted a written request on February 21, 2024, to the company encouraging them to address the pattern of complaints. We are awaiting the business’ response. As of today, April 3, 2024, BBB has had no response.

Better Business Bureau

Timber Creek Structures has been in business since 2019.

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