OKC CraigsList Handyman Claims He Was Scammed, Rethinks Site

A metro handyman says he was scammed on a business deal that originated on Craigslist. Now, that handyman and the customers he claims scammed him are calling into question the new way more and more people are meeting for business deals that all too often head south.

"I've never had any problems until this weekend," Ray Koehler, avid Craigslist user and handyman said.

The economy has Koehler, a full-time Tinker employee, advertising his services on Craigslist. Koehler says it's a way to catch up on bills and get ahead. At the same time, the economy has his customers turning to Craigslist for cheap labor.

"I basically wasted 6 hours of my day when I could have been … doing another job actually making money," Koehler said.

Koehler says he was scammed in his latest job in which he was hired to install a dance floor in the garage of a South Side home.

Of course, there's always more than one side to a story, but the homeowner of the residence would not go on camera. Off camera, the homeowner told News 9 that payment would have been made to Koehler after the project was complete, but that is where both parties did not see eye-to-eye.

"I said, look, I know I didn't get the job finished, but I need to get something for today," Koehler said. "[The customer] didn't have any money."

It's all of these "he said, she said stories" causing shoddy business relationships that has prompted the Better Business Bureau to give Craigslist an F rating.

Even with the F rating, Koehler still plans on using the Craigslist. But, from now on, he says he will use more caution and draft a pre-arranged agreement.

"It's a lesson learned," Koehler said.

Koehler says he could not finish the floor because the garage was not completely level, making for a larger project than he had originally anticipated.