Thursday, March 15, 2018

An unknown visitor left this comment recently so I figured I would follow up.

Isn't it time to take it down? He has 2 young kids and they have to see their dad's mugshot, which is completely unrelated, but people don't read on to see that its not related. Why not put the energy into suing him where there is a chance of recovery? I know him from the community and this is an accurate depiction of him now. I'm not sure what he was going through 3 years ago and neither do you. 

Lots to unpack there in such a short comment.  Here goes.


  • Isn't it time to take it down?   No.  Last time I checked Ron still owes me and countless others hundreds to thousands of dollars each.  I think anyone who is considering doing business with him that wants to do some research should know what they are getting into.  This site serves as a public service.  Coincidentally the same day this comment came in another visitor posted that he still hasn't recovered his lost funds and that he hopes Ron is wasting away in jail.  
  • He has 2 young kids and they have to see their dad's mugshot  They don't have to see their Dad's mugshot. No one is forcing them to visit this site or search for their Dad's history.  The mugshot is publicly available information.  If their dad didn't want his kids to know all of the shady things he has done then maybe he shouldn't have done those things in the first place.  Or maybe he should try to set things right by returning the money he owes people or completing the jobs he has been paid for.  He could turn it into a teaching moment and show his kids that when you do something that is wrong you need to make it right.
  • ...mugshot, which is completely unrelated, but people don't read on to see that its not related. - Is it unrelated?   I think it is additional evidence on the character of a plumber someone might consider hiring.  The offense from that mugshot was for failure to appear in court which I think was related to someone suing him for ripping them off.  That relates to the next point.
  • Why not put the energy into suing him where there is a chance of recovery? I'm not a lawyer but I don't think there is much chance of recovery.  I thought about it.  I researched what it would take to sue him.  I also researched if Ron has been in any other court cases.  Turns out he's been sued a lot.  For me to sue him looked like a pain in the ass.  You have to fill out a bunch of paperwork, pay a bunch of fees and take time off work to go to court. And while I'm fairly confident I would win, that doesn't mean I'll recoup my money.  If he has already defaulted on so many other debts why would I expect him to pay mine?  I would likely end up having to try to send him to collections where I'd be lucky to get a fraction of what I'm owed.  So I decided it wasn't worth my time.  Like I've said before, I learned my lesson and I'm going to do my best to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else.
  • I know him from the community and this is an accurate depiction of him now.  - Not sure of your point here.  What is an accurate description of him?   I'm going to assume that you have met with him and he seems like a great guy and that contradicts what you've found here.  I don't doubt that.  He comes off as very charismatic and trustworthy.  That's what makes him such an effective con man.  Wait until he owes you money and gives you the run around for a year.  Then tell me how great of a guy Ron is.  For the record it would not surprise me if it was Ron Janis himself or someone he paid to send this comment.  He used to submit fake reviews to Yelp and other sites all the time to combat all the people complaining about him.
  • I'm not sure what he was going through 3 years ago and neither do you. Maybe not but I don't see how this is relevant.  I don't care what he was going through there is no excuse for stealing people's money and wasting their time like he did.  I should just just accept what he did because he was going through something?  I gave him more than enough opportunity follow through on his obligations and he screwed me over every time.  

I'm more than happy to answer any follow up questions or comments that you may have.


Wednesday, September 7, 2016

R Janis Inc: A Scammer in Disguise?

I received the following email the other day.  Seems like Ron has given up on the Private Sewer and Water Corp and started a new company called R Janis Inc.  What are the chances that this one is reputable?   There's at least one watchdog keeping tabs on him so maybe he'll play this by the book.

Just a warning about this thief and his current activities. Since he has been called out and everyone knows about his ridiculously ugly vehicles, (pink van, blue and green van, and his rusty red trucks that are falling apart. In order to try and go under the radar, he has since had all of his vehicles painted white with no name or logos on them. He thinks this will allow him to continue to work without being noticed as the scum that ripped off so many of us and recently used the money to take his family on vacation. (That was me and my money). You're welcome Ron! I hope your family had fun with my hard earned money. Loser. I hear he is trying to do business under R Janis Inc and some other B.S. names. Unfortunately for this bum, I am retired and have nothing but time on my hands. I will be watching and looking for you. I will call OSHA for everything and anything that looks like a violation. I will call each town to make sure you have a permit. You take money from me, I'll take money from you. I hope you're reading this Ron. Because of your actions, I will do whatever I can to make your life as difficult as possible. It didn't have to be like this, but you chose to steal from me. Not everyone forgives and forgets. See ya around loser! I'd advise you follow the rules from here on out.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

What's Up with this Site

As you may have noticed its been quite a while since I've updated the site. I've actually received quite a few emails asking why there hasn't been any activity.  I don't know if that's good because I'm apparently providing a valuable service, or bad because that implies there are a lot of people that have been screwed over by Ron and the Private Sewer and Water Corp.

I've also received quite a few emails from people that know Ron personally detailing more of his shenanigans, but they've asked me not to post it because they fear retaliation.

The truth is I've been quite busy in the last few months and haven't had time to track and report on Ron's duche baggery.  When I have looked in all the usual places, the BBB, Yelp, CitySearch, Facebook I haven't seen any sign of activity.  No new complaints, no new fake positive reviews, nothing.  Looks like he's even abandoned his pathetic Facebook page.   Maybe he got sick of trying to hide all the comments from customer's that he's screwed over.

I'm going to take it as a sign that he's finally reaping what he sowed, and is no longer in business.  If everything I've heard about him ripping off vendors is true, then hopefully his credit rating will be so poor that he won't be able to start up a new business to repeat the process.

If I find anything new I'll be sure to post it.  And if you have new information that you want to pass along please do.

Oh, and before I forget, check out Ron Janis' Mug Shot that someone was nice enough to forward to me.


Ron Janis Mug Shot

I received this screenshot via email a while ago.  Finally got around to posting it.  Looks like Ron's shenanigans are finally starting to catch up to him.




Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Another Victim of Ron's Scams takes action

I received the following email the other day.  Like me he got screwed out of a large sum of money and is doing something about it.   I admit I've thought about trying to get news organizations involved to help expose Ron, but I didn't know how seriously they would take it, and I don't really have the time to follow up on it.  I"m glad someone else did.  Hopefully it does some good.

Hi,
  First of all, this email is in no way an attempt of defamation of character or any attempt to provide false information of anyone, It is all true and factual information being provided to help protect other consumers from being stolen from before it's to late.I have have lost a lot of money because of Ron Janis and his company and don't want it to happen to any one else. You've taken food off my table, you've take money away from my children's education, you've taken presents from underneath our Christmas tree. I am pissed off and I've simply had enough. You've stolen from me, and I will stop at no ends to make sure justice is served. You have official messed with the wrong person Mr. Janis. As much as I would like to handle this matter more personally and one on one, I will not. That would accomplish nothing except for an immediate sense of gratification for me. That is not my goal. But I will not stop until you are behind bars and no longer a threat to anyone or their family and livelihood.

   This email is in reference to the one posted on 11/20/15 regarding the unfortunate victims in Addison. Let it be known that Ron Janis DOES NOT have a plumbing license of any sort. Ron Janis DOES NOT have a business license to operate in the state of Illinois. Ron Janis DOES NOT even have a freaking drivers license!If you see him driving, call the police and report him. He is unlicensed, his vehicles are all uninsured and mostly unfit and unsafe for road use. Most of the Illinois safety stickers that are supposed to be displayed on the front windshield are expired or illegally transferred from other vehicles. And on several of the vehicles, the license plates are not even the correct ones for the vehicle. He has bounced several checks to the State of Illinois and has a ton of I-Pass violations and cannot register or legally plate any of his vehicles. So he just uses any license plate that has a current sticker and puts it whatever vehicle he plans on driving that day. If you see him on the road, CALL THE POLICE! As a matter of fact, call the police on any Private Water and Sewer truck or van if you see it. They are all illegal and need to be removed from the roadways. This guy needs to be stopped from ripping off hard working people just to keep his sham of a business on life support. He currently has several court cases pending due to him driving with a revoked license as well as operating a business in Addison with no license. If he gets caught again it will not be good for him. He lives in Lombard and commonly drives a ugly pink van that says Private Sewer on it and he also drives an equally ugly blue and green van. He is always talking on the phone when driving and can't be missed, If you see him, report him! You could be saving someone from getting ripped off on their sewer and or water jobs just like we all have. Enough is enough! Together we can stop this thief and expose him like he needs to be. And one final note, beyond the constant repossessions of vehicles and equipment, he also is in the process of losing his own personal home. And what makes this even more pathetic, he had his house put in a family members name because Ron has the credit of a 2 year old and couldn't acquire a loan, plus, he is so ridiculously in debt to Uncle Sam, he can't put anything in his name anyway, or else it would be immediately seized. So what does our good pal Ron do? He suckers a family member into putting a house in there name and says he'll make the payments, only to default and destroy their credit. Way to go Ron...it's one thing to ruin your own life, but to destroy that of a hard working family member that trusted you? How you sleep at night is a mystery to us all. You deserve to rot in prison, removed from society and from the decent, honest hard working people of America. You are the problem, and you make us all sick. If everyone would start reporting Ron and his criminal activities to the States Attorney, Lisa Madigan, justice will be served. He will go to prison. This website is a good start but the proper authorities need to be notified!

If you've been ripped of by Ron Janis, start by filing a complaint with the State's Attorney, Lisa Madigan here.... http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/

Or call 1800-386-5438

Ron thinks people are stupid and won't take the necessary measures to make a difference. PROVE HIM WRONG! People do not deserve to be ripped off any more. Let's put this guy away.

I am in the process of telling my story of being ripped off for over $11,600 to every major news outlet in Chicago as well as telling them about this website and having them informed on all the others that have been stolen from. It is possible to recoup what we have lost from Ron Janis but we all need to act together and speak up! Do your part and report your case to the Illinois Attorney General and let's put an end to this scumbag and his so called attorney "friends" that he conveniently befriends in order to try and get free representation. We are on to you Ron, and so are they. So far, Fox Chicago and CLTV have responded and requested more information regarding the amount of people affected and dollar amounts. It's just a matter of time. Please do your part and help save the next unexpecting homeowner from getting ripped off. We all work too hard to deserve this. Thanks for your time.


Saturday, January 9, 2016

Another Unanswered BBB Complaint for the Private Sewer and Water Service

I've been slacking in my monitoring of the Private Sewer and Water Corp, and Ron Janis' shenanigans recently.  The holidays have been busy and frankly I've had better things to do that track down all the crap Ron has pulled.

So I missed this latest BBB complaint that showed up back in November.  Once again Ron didn't bother to respond.  I'm guessing when its this obvious that he's in the wrong there isn't much he could say to help matters.

BBB Complaint against The Private Sewer and Water Corp.



The complaint reads as follows.  An all too familiar story for those of us that have had the misfortune of dealing with Ron.

Complaint: The week of August 14, 2015, Mr. ***** replaced a broken pipe in our front lawn after a sewer back up. He completed the plumbing work and repaired the lawn as agreed. After I paid him in full by personal checks, he said he messed up an forgot to ask me for an additional $1,000 for a bond from the Village to complete the sidewalk. He assured me the additional $1,000 would be retuned in one month after the sidewalk was complete. I agreed but asked for an agreement in writing showing that I paid in full and my $1,000 would be returned when work on sidewalk was complete. He wrote up an agreement and I signed two copies. I was told I could keep both copies. I found it odd that he didn't want a copy for his files. I didn't realize until after his representative left that the two copies had different amounts on them--one with the actual amount and one with a greater amount. When weeks went by and many phone calls later and the work was not completed, I became suspicious. I went to the Village to check on the bond. They informed me that they had nothing on file for our address. I called Mr. ***** and asked for a copy of the bond or receipt which he claimed he had received from the Village since they had no record. He said he had a copy. Of course, I never received it. He claimed to have been out of town for four weeks and was very busy. I was very frustrated by this time and asked the Village to replace the sidewalk. The missing sidewalk became a safety hazard for the children walking to school and for my husband, who is 85 and has Alzheimer's. Before the sidewalk was replaced, my husband went for a walk in the neighborhood and fell. He had to be hospitalized. I sent Mr. ***** a photo of my husband in his hospital bed with his apparent injuries from his fall, but this did not move him to complete the sidewalk. After many calls and texts from both myself and my handyman who referred him to us, he refuses to return my $1,000 and $287.50 that I paid the Village to replace the sidewalk. All of our call and texts are documented. When Mr. ***** began the sewer repair, he was almost shut down because he did not get a permit. An inspector came and he went to the Flagg Creek Water Reclamation district for a permit dated 8/14/15. However, Mr. ***** used another plumbers name as the Permittee on that permit. I sent a letter to my attorney explaining all of this. He sent a letter to Mr Janis, but got no response. All I request from Ron ***** of Private Sewer and Water Corp. is my $1,000 retuned and the $287.50, the cost for replacing the sidewalk.

Desired Settlement: $1,000 owed to me per our agreement dated 8/19/2015 and $287.50, the cost I paid to the Village to replace two sections of sidewalk.

Monday, December 7, 2015

A New Home for the Private Sewer and Water Corp?

I received another tip on Ron's whereabouts through email this morning:


Hi again,
   I just received a call from one my old electrician buddies, and he informed that Ron Janis has managed to find a new shop to operate from. This is for the Private Sewer and Water Company. I am sure there are many people who would like to know where to go to collect their monies or services that is owed to them. Me included. I'll be paying him a visit tomorrow. The address is 854 N Ridge Ave, Lombard, IL 60148. From the sounds of it, It is a very small unit. I am shocked to hear that someone else has actually rented to this guy considering his history. It's kind of sad actually, it's too bad no one was able to warn the landlord of this guy and that he will soon be swindled out of thousands of dollars. 

  And as of this past Saturday, his new store at 9 S Park Avenue has a sign on it that reads, "Opening Mid November!!!" How perfect is that? He can't even help but to lie about that as well. You would think he would change or take down the sign after mid-November has come and gone. 


 I guess he managed not to get evicted from his new plumbing location.  I wonder how many people he had to rip off to cover the back rent for that?