GLADSTONE, Mo. – As Mike Costelow started up the hot tub in the backyard of his home, his voice was quickly drowned out by the noise.

“It does still work, but the bearings are going out,” said Costelow, referring to the hot tub’s pump.

He had hoped to have the pump repaired by now, but the man he hired for the job – Rick Harvey – took the $500 Costelow paid him on Jan. 27 and disappeared.

Costelow and his wife Cherri count on the hot tub for their son who has Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disorder that has robbed him of the ability to speak and walk. Make-A-Wish gave the Costelows the hot tub 15 years ago to help their son cope with the symptoms of his disorder.

Unfortunately when the Costelows hired Harvey to repair the hot tub, they had no idea FOX4 Problem Solvers had already featured Harvey in multiple reports. In every report, Harvey took people’s money and didn’t do any work.

After collecting the $500 deposit, Harvey promised the Costelows he’d be back to repair their hot tub in three days. That was Jan. 27.

Costelow said, at first, he was not particularly worried when Harvey didn’t show up. He knew that companies can face supply chain issues and other delays. But then the excuses kept coming.

First Harvey claimed to be having problems with his truck. Then he was held up repairing someone else’s hot tub. Then Harvey had to “prepare” his home for his child’s birthday.

After three weeks had passed and still no sign of Harvey, the Costelows demanded their money back.

Harvey promised to give it to them but never did. That’s when the Costelows called FOX4 Problem Solvers. We called Harvey.

“Can I call you back in 10 minutes?” he asked.

“No Rick, I’m here with Mike and his wife, and they are waiting for their $500,“ Problem Solvers said.

“Yeah, I understand that,” Harvey said. “They will receive it no later than tomorrow.”

That was Feb. 22.

Sure enough, true to his past, Harvey was lying. Instead of coming up with the money, he just kept coming up with excuses.

Meanwhile, the days kept ticking by with no sight of Harvey, the money or even a hot tub pump, which he insisted at one point that he had already purchased.

It’s a game Harvey’s been playing for years – on both sides of the state line.

Chris Noll and his wife, who live in Independence, said they paid Harvey a total of $657 down to repair their hot tub. They never saw Harvey again.

“We called him, texted him. He just doesn’t respond,” Noll said.

Another man in Leavenworth wrote Problem Solvers that he also was cheated out of more than $400 by Harvey.

Unfortunately, none of these are problems we can solve. That’s because Harvey lies to Problem Solvers just as much as he lies to his customers.

We’d put Harvey in the Problem Solvers Hall of Shame except he’s already there. So be warned, don’t do business with Rick Harvey.