I'm sorry for the mess you've got. Hopefully this will get straightened out to your satisfaction.
I'm of a mind that if I'm going to hire someone to do a landscaping, enclose my lanai, put a birdcage up or any project that runs into the thousands using an upstart or fly by night operation is never the right choice. Granted you may save some money at the beginning but what about call backs. I also NEVER hire anyone that requires money up front. If they need my money to pay for materials then they haven't been around long enough to gain my trust. Reputable companies won't ask for money until the customer is %100 satisfied.This way of doing business has yet to fail me. Good Luck!