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"I felt bad for her": Businessman sees Denver7 story, helps woman who lost $3,000 on unfinished job

Posted at 10:02 AM, Feb 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-29 12:02:30-05

Editor's note: Contact7 seeks out audience tips and feedback to help people in need, resolve problems and hold the powerful accountable. If you know of a community need our call center could address, or have a story idea for our investigative team to pursue, please email us at contact7@thedenverchannel.com or call (720) 462-7777. Find more Contact7 stories here.

DENVER, Colo. — On Monday, we told you about Sandra Bluhm, a 66-year-old Denver woman who reached out to Contact7.

Bluhm paid a pest control company more than $3,000 upfront to remove raccoons from her home’s attic. That transaction happened in March of 2019 but the work was never complete. For several months, a trap hung from the back of Bluhm’s home.

“When you pay somebody, I thought you paid them up front. I’m trying not to cry,” Bluhm told us on Monday.

Brandon Ewals-Strain, owner of Northern Colorado Pest and Wildlife Control, saw our story and reached out to help.

“You can sympathize. I’ve been taken advantage before too from a contractor and it left a really bad taste in my mouth,” Ewals-Strain said of seeing Bluhm’s story.

Thursday morning, Ewals-Strain came to Bluhm’s home to finish a job that should have been done several months ago, for free.

“This is one of those rare situations where we can kind of actually come in and save the day,” Ewals-Strain said.

It took only about an hour to finish his work. However, that one hour ended nearly a year of grief for the grateful Bluhm.

“If that raccoon gets back in, just call me,” Ewals-Strain said to Bluhm before she gave him a hug.

“No, just a big thank you, thank you very much,” Bluhm said.