Gross v. Bildex, Inc.

647 N.E.2d 573, 68 Ohio Misc. 2d 65, 1994 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 75
CourtToledo Municipal Court
DecidedSeptember 26, 1994
DocketNo. CVF-92-08561
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 647 N.E.2d 573 (Gross v. Bildex, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Toledo Municipal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gross v. Bildex, Inc., 647 N.E.2d 573, 68 Ohio Misc. 2d 65, 1994 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 75 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1994).

Opinion

Thomas J. Osowik, Judge.

The court finds that on May 5, 1992, the plaintiff, Weltha Gross, filed a complaint against the defendant, Bildex, Inc., alleging that the plaintiff and the defendant entered into a contract, which was amended on several occasions, for improvements to her home. The plaintiff further alleged that monies were deposited with the defendant and that the plaintiff timely exercised her right to rescind the contract. The plaintiff further alleges that as a result of the failure of the defendant to return the deposit, she is entitled to damages pursuant to R.C. 1345.09 et seq.

The plaintiff also alleged breach of contract and brought a claim for fraud and conversion.

In its answer, the defendant denied the allegations of the complaint and, further, presented a counterclaim, alleging that the plaintiff owes the defendant the sum of $5,310 as a result of breach of contract.

The case proceeded to trial with testimony taken and exhibits submitted.

[68]*68The court finds that the plaintiff contacted the defendant after having seen an advertisement in the local newspaper, which presented the defendant’s services. The plaintiff desired to have some substantial remodeling done to her home. On December 18, 1991, a sales representative of the defendant’s met at the home of the plaintiff and the parties entered into an agreement to have certain improvements made to the plaintiff’s home, for a contract price of $23,233. Payment terms were at successive stages: $300 down, with balance payable upon loan approval, concrete, rough/siding and completion. However, that contract left substantive terms so allusive as to invite confusion and, further, render that agreement unenforceable. The contract had no start date, no date when the loan application was to be made, and no date when approval was to be anticipated.

After several months elapsed and, apparently, after the plaintiff had indeed obtained loan approval, she approached the defendant about certain modifications to the December 18, 1991 proposal. At that point, all parties and testimony established that the December 18, 1991 agreement had been voided, by mutual consent.

The plaintiff and the defendant’s sales representative met on February 27, 1992, at the plaintiffs home, and made modifications to the prior December 18, 1991 agreement. The February 27, 1992 agreement called for a start date of March 10, 1992. The February 27, 1992 contract also acknowledged the receipt of $300 from the prior contract and, further, receipt of an additional $5,000 from the plaintiff. The February 27, 1992 proposal, however, was substantially modified from the December 19, 1991 contract. These modifications included amendments to inside and outside dimensions as well as a complete deletion of the garage.

This court finds that the subject transaction is of the nature contemplated by the Home Solicitation Sales Act and defined in R.C. 1345.21. A home improvement contract is in the nature of a service contract, and the performance of services prior to expiration of “the time in which the buyer may cancel” is specifically prohibited by R.C. 1345.22, presumably, because there would be no possibility of return of the “services.”

R.C. 1345.21(E) defines “consumer goods or services” as “goods or services purchased, leased, or rented primarily for personal, family, or household purposes * * It is only logical to conclude that goods and services utilized in remodeling or making additions or improvements to a family dwelling unit satisfy such purpose. In addition, R.C. 1345.21(F) lists certain goods or services which do not constitute “consumer goods or services,” and nothing contained therein would exclude goods and services utilized in home improvements from the definition of “consumer goods or services.”

[69]*69This court, therefore, concludes that home improvement contracts such as the one under consideration herein may be a proper subject for a “home solicitation sale” as set forth in R.C. 1345.21(A). See, also, Hooker v. Hilleker (Jan. 10, 1983), Tuscarawas C.P. No. 82 CV 12447, unreported; Brown v. Wells (Dec. 27, 1982), Hamilton C.P. No. A-8208576, unreported; Celebrezze v. Hall (Apr. 26, 1983), Lucas C.P. No. 82-2664, unreported; Fain v. Hoptry (1986), 34 Ohio App.3d 148, 517 N.E.2d 550.

This court further concludes that the goods or services must be specifically identifiable at the time of the execution of the contract in order to constitute a “home solicitation sale.” The subject contract does, in fact, specifically define the goods and services to be provided by Bildex.

Further, R.C. 1345.25 states as follows:

“Where a sale is made pursuant to negotiations that occur at a place other than the seller’s fixed location business establishment where goods or services are offered or exhibited for sale, but the agreement or offer to purchase is signed at a seller’s fixed location business establishment, a presumption arises that the sale was a home solicitation sale.”

The February 27, 1992 negotiations and subsequent contract occurred at the plaintiffs home, obviously not at the defendant’s fixed place of business, thereby creating a presumption of a “home solicitation” as defined in the statute.

The court, having found that the transaction between the plaintiff and the defendant is governed by R.C. Chapter 1345, further finds that the contract provided by the defendant must contain language required by R.C. 1345.23. That section states, in pertinent part:

“(A) Every home solicitation shall be evidenced by a written agreement or offer to purchase in the same language as that principally used in the oral sales preséntation and shall contain the name and address of the seller. The seller shall present the writing to the buyer and obtain the buyer’s signature to it. The writing shall state the date on which the buyer actually signs. The seller shall leave with the buyer a copy of the writing which has been signed by the seller and complies with division (B) of this section.

“(B) In connection with every home solicitation sale:

“(1) The following statement shall appear clearly and conspicuously on the copy of the contract left with the buyer in bold-face type of the minimum size of ten points, in substantially the following form and in immediate proximity to the space reserved in the contract for the signature of the buyer: “You, the buyer, may cancel this transaction at any time prior to midnight of the third business [70]*70day after the date of this transaction. See the attached notice of cancellation for an explanation of this right.’

“(2) A completed form, in duplicate, captioned ‘notice of cancellation’, shall be attached to the contract signed by the buyer and be easily detachable, and shall contain in ten-point, boldface type, the following information and statements in the same language as that used in the contract:

“NOTICE OF CANCELLATION “(enter date of transaction)

“(Date)

“You may cancel this transaction, without any penalty or obligation, within three business days from the above date.

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647 N.E.2d 573, 68 Ohio Misc. 2d 65, 1994 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 75, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gross-v-bildex-inc-ohmunicttoledo-1994.