Ohio City Masonry

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing Ohio masonry contractor accused of pocketing customer payments for masonry projects he didn’t finish or even start.

The lawsuit against Joseph Vega and his companies – CLE Masonry and Ohio City Contractors, which did business using the name Ohio City Masonry – alleges multiple violations of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act and the Home Solicitation Sales Act. The suit was filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
“A change in name doesn’t provide a clean slate, ” Yost said. “This lawsuit should put unethical contractors on notice, that’s not how we operate in Ohio. ”
Based in Macedonia, Vega initially did business using the name CLE Masonry.  But then after a string of consumer complaints were filed against the company, he began operating using the new name, Ohio City Masonry, from his CLE Masonry location.
Using various business names, Vega sold masonry services to consumers, accepting deposits, initiating work, demanding additional payments and then failing to complete the projects.
When consumers attempted to contact Vega to check on the status of their projects, he ceased all communication. Some consumers reported that the work performed by Vega was subpar, requiring them to start over.
Yost’s lawsuit also maintains that Vega failed to provide the legally mandated notice of consumers' rights to cancel their contracts.
The Attorney General's Office received 12 consumer complaints, identified additional victims, and estimated consumer damages exceeding 50,000 as a consequence of Vega's violations.
Yost's lawsuit aims to compel Vega and his companies to reimburse the affected consumers, pay civil penalties and cover court costs.
Ohio residents who believe they have been victimized by Vega or who suspect unfair and deceptive business dealings are encouraged to contact the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

Very neat and complete work. Cleaned up after themselves. Gave an honest estimate as well as options. Guarantees work for 5 years. Having them work on future projects.

Joe is amazing! Very personable, explains the process, shows you what he's talking about, then when he's done explains what he did and any care that needs to be done. Will go to him again!

Repaired my foundation and installed glass block windows. I liked it so much I had them back to repair my chimney. Very satisfied!

Joe and his team did a wonderful job replacing our stoop. The finished product was beautiful. We asked to have some work added on and we’re given a really good price.

Contracted for some chimney repair, tuck pointing and sealing. Crew arrived as promised - unfortunately it was a downpour that afternoon. They came again the next day and completed the work as expected. Everything was repaired well and cleaned up.

Beware of Joe Vega; after I hired him to complete work at my home, he demanded full payment in order to finish the job and never showed back up to finish the job after I paid him. He has carried out numerous other similar scam projects, and his reputation is so poor that he was forced to change the name of his business from CLE Masonry to ohio city masonry. Try conducting a fast Google search for CLE Masonry reviews and BBB complaints if you don't trust me and you will see how he did so many people wrong. You can also browse through all the posts from users cautioning others not to fall for his scams by searching for "cle masonry" on Facebook. He is an fraud

Guys were very professional and really careful of property as a lot of work had just been done. Thank you so much!

I was dealing with Mallory all by phone. Never saw the work but when I saw the pictures after the work was done and begin, I enjoyed it.

Had a great experience working with Eric and his crew. Eric provided a detailed estimate and carefully explained the work involved. Once I approved the quote, his team was at my house the next day to get started. They repaired broken and sunken bricks around my porch, rebuilt back entry steps, rebuilt both chimneys and tuck pointed all brick around the entire house. Their work was top quality and they finished in less time than they originally estimated. Highly recommend this company if you are looking for reliable and honest quality work.

Had a great experience with Ohio City Masonry. I called to have my chimney and front porch step looked at (one deteriorating, the other sinking into the ground) and they came out to look at them within a couple hours on a Sunday no less! During the week they put together estimates with different options (repair or rebuild). Once I accepted their estimates for the rebuild work they were able to schedule me for the very next day. The whole process was quick and easy. Their work looks good too.

They were very quick with their work and still provided quality. They also took care to protect items and vehicles in my yard from any accidental damage. Upon completion they cleaned up and other than a great looking chimney you would have no clue they were there. I would definitely recommend this company!

Joe and George and their people are wonderful to work with. They did a great job for us. Highly recommend them. Will definitely work with them again in future. Thank you.

I'm deciding whether to sell/move or stay in my home of 45 years - either way, I've a long list of delayed maintenance.

I've begun with a curb appeal project, having the front stoop repaired (failing footer, rebuilding 2 bottom steps, tuck pointing the other 2 steps + both sides of the brick stoop).

I met with Joe (owner) and Zack (Mason) just 1 day after submitting my project for an estimate, w/photos, on their website.

As Ohio City Masonry (OCM) is affiliated with Ohio City Construction (& Ohio City Roofing), and as my projects require several building tradesmen, I was encouraged by this quick turnaround for an estimate. And the possibility of utilizing OCM/Joe as the point person/coordinator w/the other 2 "Ohio City" affiliations to potentially do most if not all of my projects.

Having a prior estimate (but booked up until the Fall), Joe matched it & because OCM was available the next day, I agreed to the work.

The next afternoon, I was away when they arrived & returned 3 hours after their start time. Tom, Zack, Xavier & Matt (a sub) were in the middle of everything.

Tom seemed in charge & I commented a concern about the footer but he assured me it'll be fine. I asked permission & took 1 photo for my album, then stayed inside until they were done.

I balked at the footer repairs as almost ½ of the left side looked unfinished & Tom called Joe.

Unbeknownst to me Zack had left earlier, for another job & apparently Matt was the other Mason. Tom sent photos to Joe & they went off speaker phone.

Zack & Xavier returned the next afternoon - it wasn't until that morning (drying mortar) how obvious there were 2 masons as Matt's tuck pointing was unacceptable. Xavier ground out & acid washed (?) excess mortar, Zack rebuilt the bottom step.

Joe came over a few hours later to review the results & payment. He said it needs to be pressure washed (after it's cured) to fully remove the excessive mortar residue - now that the surface has dried completely, pressure washing is obviously necessary.

Although there were issues & a 2nd day was required, Joe's ability to accept responsibility (& proactively will pressure wash the stoop, not yet scheduled) provides me the comfort to work with him for future projects.

Already, this afternoon, Mike from Ohio City Roofing is coming for an estimate.

I'll be happy to raise these 4 Stars to 5 with successful, ongoing projects.

They showed up on time. Completed the job on sceduale. Were friendly & answered all of our questions. I would use them again!

The turn around time was fast. We got a quote and within few days the project was done. We had some foundation cracks sealed up. Three basement windows that we had taken out and bricked in. The crew was all very nice and they removed all the trash after. We plan to use them again for more work.