This letter came across my desk and, as the victim of a similar scam trying to rent an apartment last year, felt it was worth sharing.
Heads up to buyers—you can never be too careful!
Cliff Kemp Carpet and Flooring
754 South Clinton Avenue
Rochester, N.Y. 14620
Dear Editor,
We’ve been buying carpet from the same supplier for over 20 years. We’ve used them for product lines that we can’t carry and/or for crossing Home Depot/Lowe’s products. We placed an order on May 5 for a Dixie Home product but the order was not shipped. He received his money, we have no carpet and the broker is not responding. The owner, his wife, his son and his daughter-in-law do not respond to our phone messages. A new, answering machine message uses a different name and the name on the back of our cancelled check is a name we’ve never heard of.
Have any other stores had this problem? Have we been lucky all these years?
Buyers be warned about using brokers versus going through the mill reps. This purchase is large, especially for our small business and in these times, it hurts. I warn other to avoid carpet brokers and to pay with a credit card! Since this happened to us, we have heard about other customers in our area being burned. I have filed complaints with the State Attorney General in my state and the broker’s.
Getting our money back isn’t the only thing we seek. This interruption in service has shaken our consumer’s confidence in us. We have reordered but with a big delay on delivery. We pride ourselves on great customer service. We want our good name back!
Sincerely,
Cliff Kemp
Owner