Contractor Jeff Baum no stranger to Contact 6: After promising to do so, has he changed his ways?

MILWAUKEE -- Jeff Baum is no stranger to FOX6's Contact 6. Last time he was featured in a story, he promised to do better. So has that happened?

Jeff Baum

The issue here is that Baum would sell his services as a contractor, and then never finish the job.

Now -- more women are coming forward, saying Baum took their money. That has landed Baum in court -- charged with "theft by contractor."

FOX6's Katrina Cravy asked Baum if he would do business with himself.

"No I wouldn't. Honestly, it's tough. It's not like I'm a complete bad guy. There are guys out there that are worse than me," Baum said.

Baum IS the guy people keep calling Contact 6 about.

He first appeared in a Contact 6 story in July 2014.

Handyman Solutions and remodeling work

He said he was helping out a high school friend, but ended up leaving a mess of a kitchen remodel behind.

Contact 6 also found plenty of court records showing others with the same complaints.

They pay Jeff Baum and he doesn't finish the job.

Once Contact 6 got involved, Baum did make good on that 2014 kitchen job, and made a promise.

"People make mistakes. I did not expect it to go this far," Baum said. "It won't happen again."

But it did.

Fast forward about one year -- and three women are filing new complaints with Contact 6.

They had a familiar story. They needed a contractor and found Jeff Baum on Facebook.

Handyman Solutions and remodeling

"I posted on there and Jeff Baum came back and said he could replace my ceiling fan and he gave me a quote, $150, which I thought was pretty good," Barbara Rose said.

She's one of three women who said Baum seemed like he knew what he was doing, but once they gave him money, he was anything but professional.

"He just kind of didn't show up," Cindy Hilgen said. "A lot of excuses. He had a sick child."

"It was a tree fell on his mom's car that day and I said, 'OK' and trying to be understanding," Chenoa Parsons said.

Rose said a few days later, she got stuck going back and forth over text message, with Baum telling her he couldn't come.

"Tuesday comes and he doesn't show up and comes up with this excuse," Parsons said.

Rose said Baum told her his daughter is sick and in the hospital, and that's why he couldn't come.

"Tons and tons of excuses," Rose said. "He even said, 'my friend died in a motorcycle accident.'"

These women found each other the same way they found Jeff Baum -- through Facebook.

Not only did they file complaints with Contact 6, but they called police.

When Baum didn't show up to meet an officer about Rose's case, he was given a theft by contractor citation and ended up in municipal court.

"I know you probably already know -- and everybody already knows about Contact 6 and I was on their list," Baum told the judge.

Jeff Baum in court

"Sir, all I know is what's in front of me," the judge responded.

Baum was ordered to pay Rose back $90 and $303 to the courts for the theft by contractor citation.

Theft by contract citation

He isn't happy -- and even blames Contact 6 for part of his problems.

When asked if he would take responsibility he said, "I'm going to take responsibility for it. The responsibility I'm going to take is that I didn't have a contract and it kept going on and on and on."

Baum did pay Hilgen back nearly $2,000.

Hilgen said that's because it would've ended up as criminal charges. She went to the police department and accused him of fraud.

Hilgen had a written contract and says Baum never started the work.

If he had started -- Waukesha County Sheriff Department's Lt. Patrick Esser said theft by contractor would be hard to prove.

"They are fairly difficult and the fine point that kind of muddles the water is whether it is a civil dispute or criminal," Esser said.

Some tips when looking for a contractor:

In Jeff Baum's case, the BBB gave him an "F."

Another important tip -- make sure the contractor has a license.

Jeff Baum does not.

If you have also had an issue with contractor Jeff Baum or any contractor, file a complaint with Wisconsin's Consumer Protection Department.