Door-to-door salesmen: he exploits seniors and collects millions of dollars

A 28-year-old entrepreneur, who made millions by exploiting elderly people in particular with his heating business, has just lost his construction license to prevent him from causing other victims.

• Also read: [VIDÉO] Sale of heat pumps: duped by this fake construction contractor on Facebook

“Sadly, Alexandre Patoine-Nasfi has no qualms about duping customers. […] The accumulation of serious breaches of the law, as well as the common thread of bad faith, leaves no other choice than the cancellation of the license”, decides without hesitation the manager M^e Marc-Antoine Oberson.

In its recent decision rendered to the Régie du logement du Québec (RBQ), we learn that Patoine and his colleague Bun Ty Taing are at the head of the company numbered 9367‐1444 Québec inc. This itinerant merchant, specializing in heat pumps and insulation, also does business under the names NovaHabitat or Gestion AP.

The Régie first accused them of illegally using Bun Ty Taing as a nominee within the company. This 51-year-old man was professionally trained to have a construction contractor license, unlike Patoine-Nasfi.

“Mr Taing’s version suffers from a fundamental inconsistency. How can he supposedly verify contracts with clients and work monitoring, without, at the very least, knowing the names of the sellers ratifying them? […] Taing is only there to qualify the license,” reveals M^e Oberson, while unmasking him.

Police officers helping seniors

Still according to the Régie, Alexandre Patoine-Nasfi’s company received an annual income of up to five million dollars in 2023.

The twenty-year-old from Lévis, who appears on his social networks at the wheel of a luxurious Ferrari, is also the subject of numerous complaints from the public to the RBQ. In particular, he “exploited elderly people” to sell his heating systems at high prices.

This is the case of a 71-year-old lady, in Rimouski, who paid $22,000 to NovaHabitat to redo the insulation of her attic in 2023. However, according to an engineer’s report filed with the Régie, this task worth only $6,250 before taxes.

“She understands that she was fooled. She refuses to pay. Nova registers a legal mortgage the next day. She received 18 calls from Nova on March 18, 2024, so much so that she called the police,” relates the Régie document.

A similar story happened again in April 2024 in a home in Maniwaki. A couple aged 66 and 59 realized they had been duped into their botched insulation work and refused to pay the company.

“Mr. Patoine is reached by telephone. He accuses the couple of being thieves. In an aggressive tone, he threatens to register a legal mortgage. The police intervene to remove the seller on site,” notes the RBQ.

Note that Alexandre Patoine-Nasfi was already the associate of the influencer and alleged millionaire Alexandre Lachance. THE Journal reported in 2023 that Mr. Lachance was also in trouble with the authorities for running a heat pump company without the necessary permits.

Fake photos of mold

In March 2024, one of the contractor’s traveling salesmen even showed a customer purported photos of his attic. These had mold and fungus.

“We offered a bid for $24,994.99, presenting the value of the work at $40,000. The contract was signed and the work was done immediately. The client later realized that the photos shown were not those of his attic,” explains the manager, denouncing the deception.

Patoine-Nasfi also owns another numbered company, 9419‐1467 Québec inc. This 28-year-old Quebec company was found guilty in 2023 of four criminal charges, including false and misleading representation to customers, under the Consumer Protection Act.

“In addition to other reasons, he is accused of having carried out work without a construction contractor license,” indicates the RBQ.

Our request for an interview with the directors of the company 9367‐1444 Québec inc. remained unanswered on Wednesday.