Customers say Kansas construction company owner took thousands, disappeared

TROY, Kan. – Your business might have problems when your former customers have devoted an entire Facebook page to ripping you apart.

That’s just one of the many problems facing the man behind a Kansas company that customers accuse of robbing them of thousands of dollars.

Josh Kleinschmit is one of those customers demanding a refund from Jimmy Wolfe, owner of Midwest Construction Services. Kleinschmit said he’s out $30,000.

“He had references,” said Kleinschmit, referring to Wolfe and his company. “He had buildings that he had done. He was very impressive.”

Plus Wolfe asked for no money upfront when Kleinschmit agreed to hire him.

“He came up here, he brought equipment and he got to work,” Kleinschmit said.

For several days, Wolfe worked hard preparing the site where the pole barn would stand. So when Wolfe asked Kleinschmit for $30,000 to buy the metal trusses, lumber and concrete to build the barn, Kleinschmit had no concerns about giving it to him.

That was a mistake. Kleinschmit never saw Wolfe again. All he’s received for his money are excuses.

“Well, weather came in, and he said we can’t do the concrete, we got too much snow,” Kleinschmit said. “Then his grandpa or surrogate grandpa had died.”

Two weeks later, Wolfe claimed something had happened to his daughter.

Not long after that, Wolfe stopped even bothering to return Kleinschmit’s calls.

“Text him, call him, anything message him on Facebook, complete radio silence,” Kleinschmit said.

Kleinschmit isn’t alone in wanting his money back. FOX4 Problem Solvers also spoke to Jeremy Harris in Sedan, Kansas. He said Wolfe owed him $17,000.

“I mean $17,000 may not be a lot for some people, but $17,000 is a lot of money for me,” Harris said.

Like Kleinschmit, Harris had also hired Wolfe to build a pole barn on his property near the Oklahoma border. Just like with Kleinschmit, Wolfe disappeared after Harris gave him the deposit.

Both men have demanded their money back multiple times.

“I told him unless he had the money, he was not to ever come on my property again,” Harris said.

Their stories are identical to numerous others who have shared their frustrations on a Facebook page dedicated to exposing Jimmy Wolfe.

The 29-year-old owns Midwest Construction Services and an excavation company. Problem Solvers couldn’t find any registration for them with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.

We also checked Kansas court records, which show that Wolfe has a bad habit of not paying his bills. He’s been successfully sued at least nine times by everyone from the gas station to the grocery store.

Despite that less-than-stellar record, Wolfe attempted to run for mayor of Peru, Kansas, last year. He lost.

FOX4 Problem Solvers wanted to hear Wolfe’s side of this whole mess. We called him, but we reached a recording that doesn’t let you leave a message.

We texted him asking to hear his side. He quickly texted us back: “Will do.” That was a month ago. We never heard from him.

So Jimmy Wolfe for taking your customers’ money and never doing the work, and then not even picking up the phone to defend yourself, you are now an official members of the FOX4 Problem Solvers Hall of Shame.