Bill Medeiros needed more than a bathroom makeover.

He needed repair and a remodel.

"My grandson thought this was a ladder," Bill says while pointing to a hand rail in his shower stall now being held-on by a network of duct tape.

So in May 20, 2008, he hired a nationally franchised company called Re-Bath of Sacramento; he paid a $450 deposit.

But when the work-day arrived, the contractor didn't.

"Nor did anyone call."

He rescheduled, and again, his bathroom remained untouched.

"You know, I lost a couple of days hanging around here waiting for someone to show up."

So he cancelled the contract due to "failure to perform" and asked for a refund of his deposit.

But weeks go by, and no refund.

Re-bath tells him "the checks in the mail," but he says he never got it. So he goes to their shop listed on their brochure at 1201 Del Paso Blvd. But he found a closed up storefront full of junk and a few old cars; no bath tubs here.

"When I called and asked there for an address, they refused." This wasn't looking good.

"I felt totally helpless. And I just didn't know what to do. It felt like my hands were tied."

This retired sergeant wasn't about to take a bath on this one.

"I just took as I had a recruit that just wasn't measuring up and he wasn't going to get away with it."

He went online and found out Re-Bath wasn't licensed with the Contractor State License Board, as required.

He also filed a complaint with the CSLB and the Better Business Bureau. But none of that got him his money.

Then after another sleepless night, he called Re-Bath again, this time with a strong warning.

"So I says, 'I'll tell ya what. This is the way it's going down. I've got an appointment on Monday morning with the sheriff. We're gonna discuss felony senior abuse."

Later that same day, there was a surprise at the door. Re-Bath was hand delivering his refund check.

"I really don't think they're running a scam, I think they're just inept."

Re-Bath told us by phone their sales person failed to confirm the install date for Bill.

We were also told they mailed out a check but he never got it. They're in the process of relocating their store to a more customer-friendly neighborhood.

Bill admits he might have saved himself a lot of headache and sleepless nights, if he'd just checked the contractor's license before hiring Re-Bath, not after.

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