The Better Business Bureau, serving Louisville, Southern Indiana, and Western Kentucky has named its top area businesses producing the most unanswered/unresolved complaints and serious complaints - to the BBB in 2011.
This is a distinction no business should want. BBB President and CEO, Charlie Mattingly says, “This list of businesses shows why it is wise to get a BBB Business Review before you do business. The BBB can help consumers locate reputable businesses…and stay away from ones that don’t necessarily do ethical business, or ones that don’t answer their complaints.”
This year’s BBB list includes the following businesses (in alphabetical order):
1. Advanced Environmental, Louisville, KY – Consumers complain to the BBB that they ordered a home water filtration/purification system from this company, put down a deposit, and never received the system. Consumers say they cannot get their money back.
2. Alpine Chimney & Roofing, Jeffersonville, IN – Owner, Michael Osborne, was arrested 1/22/10 and charged with one count of Home Improvement Fraud and one count of Attempted Home Improvement Fraud. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one-and-a-half years on each count, suspended and consecutive, with three years of probation. Consumers complain he is back out doing work. They say he doubles charges when he finds “additional repairs” that are needed, he doesn’t always finish the work, or does a shoddy job, and he asks customers to pay in cash.
3. C & R Mechanical Services, Louisville, KY – Consumers complain that a home warranty company sent this company out to do repairs. Complaints to BBB include late arrival to appointments, excessive charges (saying extra work needs to be done), inadequate work, and the inability to get a refund. Several consumers complained of workers being unprofessional.
4. Crazy Eddy’s Furniture Warehouse, Bowling Green, KY - Consumers complain that they order furniture from the company, put down a deposit, and never receive the furniture. When they tell the company they want a refund, they are told they don’t give refunds.
5. Exterior Services, Louisville, KY – Consumers who purchased a coupon through Groupon or Living Social for services from this company complain they could never get the work done. Consumers say they tried to contact the company for weeks – to no avail. Eventually, some consumers got their money back from Groupon, when they complained.
6. Hardin County Lawn Care, Cecilia, KY – Consumers complain to BBB that they pay the company in advance to do work and the services are not performed. They try to get a refund, but the owner will not return their calls.
7. HCG Extreme, Louisville, KY – Consumers say they ordered a free trial of this product, but when they tried to cancel in the time allotment allowed, they could not get through to the company, and they were charged anyway. Some say they never even received the product.
8. KY Custom Coatings, LLC, Louisville, KY – Consumers complain they paid upfront for painting and/or vinyl work, but the work was never done. Others complain to the BBB of shoddy, unfinished work.
9. Lawson Special Pet Transportation, Pekin, IN – Consumers complain to BBB that they hired this company to transport their pets to them when they moved. After days of phone calls and emails, they never receive a return call – or their pet.
10. Paraklese Technologies –Georgetown, IN - Consumers complain to the BBB that they ordered ammunition from this company, paid for it, and never received it!
11. Ready Set Grow, Crestwood, KY – Consumers complain they hired this company to do deck or landscaping work, paid thousands of dollars in advance (for materials), and the company never showed up to do the job. The company was dropped from BBB Accreditation in November 2011, due to a climb in complaints, however continues to use the BBB logo on its website.
12. R.G. Swimming Pool Company, Simpsonville, KY – BBB is processing three recent complaints against this business that are considered serious in nature, because each complaint indicated the business may have ceased operations before completing work that had already been paid for by the customer. BBB is investigating the operating status of this company.
13. Roof Doctor, Louisville, KY – Consumers complain they paid for work that was never completed by this company. Others complain of shoddy work or that they never receive return phone calls on warranty work that needs to be done.
14. United Express, LaGrange, KY – Consumers complain the company is late to appointments, unprofessional, and rough on goods. Another complaint with the BBB states the consumer paid a deposit to have the company move them out of the state, and the company never showed up for the move. The consumer is still trying to get his deposit back! Also, in the voice over audio on the businesses’ website, the company claims BBB accreditation. The claim is FALSE! The company has never been a BBB Accredited Business.
Get a BBB Business Review online at www.bbb.org, or call 1-800-388-2222. The reviews provide key information about a business, including the business’s grade and the number and nature of complaints filed with the BBB regarding the business. Mattingly says “any business can have a complaint, and in some cases, a customer can be unreasonable or impossible to satisfy.” A company is not legally obligated to respond to complaints filed with the BBB. However, most companies respond and take proper action to satisfy customer complaints.
