GREENSBORO, N.C. — Imagine paying a contractor $900 up-front to do some electrical work on your house and he never comes back to finish the job.
Now add to that, you find out the state has banned him from doing work in all of North Carolina. Even if he did come back, he wouldn't be allowed to finish the job you hired him for.
You're out that $900. This isn't hypothetical, it happened to a Burlington man.
The Better Business Bureau of Central & NW NC is investigating cases involving James Born and Born Electric.
“We want consumers to know, you need to check out contractors. Just because someone claims they are licensed, doesn't mean it's true, and here is a perfect example. Born claims he is licensed and he will tell you he's licensed and can work under another electrician and according to the state, that is simply not true,” said Lechelle Yates of the BBB.
When you look up James Born on the NC Board Examiners of Electrical Contractors, James Born is listed as unlicensed. That isn't stopping him from advertising on Craigslist or on Facebook or handing his card around.
The BBB captured a screenshot of his Craigslist posting in January of 2023. In it, he claims he is licensed and that he and his company have an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
At one point he did until a consumer complained recently about his work, and the BBB did an investigation and found Born was banned from working in the state. The BBB now lists Born Electric with an “F” rating.
The NC Board of Examiners Electrical Contractors banned Born from doing any work in the state in August 2020. He doesn’t have a license. In 2021, Born was fined $500 for doing work in the state, even after the ban.
“We encourage the public to go to our website, NC Board of Examiners Electrical Contractors if you're entering into a contract. It takes less time to do that than it does to fill out a complaint form on our website and go through an investigation if you've lost money to try to get it back,” said Tom Norman, Executive Director, NC Board of Examiners Electrical Contractors.
Take the time to check out anyone doing work for you and don't take them at their word. If you've had work done by James Born since August of 2020, the state and BBB want to hear from you.