(WSVN) - At least 16 lawsuits have been filed against a South Florida window company. Homeowners say they paid thousands of dollars but never got their windows, and now state regulators are looking into it as well. 7’s Heather Walker investigates.
Justin and Maricel Lafond moved into their Broward home about a year and half ago. The house has a special meaning to them.
Maricel Lafond: “This is his childhood home, so his parents came from Trinidad, and they built this house from the ground up.”
Justin and Maricel decided to install new impact windows.
They searched online for a contractor, and found Alco Windows and Doors LLC.
Maricel Lafond: “They had – I think it was like a 4.7 on Google, [Better Business Bureau] reviews were good, so we were like, ‘OK, why not?'”
They called and scheduled a home visit. The employee who visited gave them an estimate and helped them apply online for financing.
Maricel Lafond: “He told us it was the easiest process ever. He was going to send us the link, and he sent us the link, and perfect. Bam! We were approved.”
Justin and Maricel got a loan for nearly $48,000. They transferred the money to Alco Windows and Doors LLC to expedite the work.
Despite having the money, the company didn’t start work for nine months.
Maricel Lafond: “Called in about February. Now, it’s April, and every month that passed, it just kept on delaying and delaying.”
But the couple says things got worse after the work finally began.
Maricel Lafond: “That was the day they started ruining my house, They came in, and they were banging my new windows like you’d never believe. They weren’t cutting the openings correctly, and they were trying to kind of fit something really big into a small opening.”
The windows and doors were put in, but Justin and Maricel were put out.
Justin Lafond: “The windows pop and crack randomly.”
Maricel Lafond: “I had stucco exposed.”
They asked Alco Windows and Doors LLC to fix the problems. Workers removed the windows and reinstalled them, but to this date, they haven’t passed inspection, and the work permit hasn’t been closed.
State records show Alco Windows and Doors LLC is registered to Luis Alvarez. The business has a Doral address, but no one was there. We found a Miami-Dade County eviction notice on the window.
We traced Luis Alvarez to a home in Miami-Dade.
Voicemail recording: “Your call has been forwarded to voicemail.”
No one answered the door, or our phone calls.
At least 16 lawsuits have been filed against Alco Windows and Doors LLC in the past year. According to court records, customers say after Alco Windows and Doors LLC was paid, little to no work was ever done.
Ana Vieira: “I want justice to be done for myself.”
Ana Vieira can’t afford to take her case to court. Like Justin and Maricel, she took out a $12,000 loan to pay for her new windows.
She says she paid the company but never got her windows.
Ana Vieira: “I felt deceived, because I trusted in a company that supposedly were willing to help out.”
Ana, as well as Justin and Maricel, now have to pay back the loans. They have filed complaints with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the State Attorney General’s Office.
The State Attorney General’s Office tells 7News, “Our Consumer Protection Division has an active investigation regarding Alco Windows and Doors, and we have received over 30 consumer complaints. We cannot comment further at this time.”
Justin Lafond: “I am completely willing to do whatever I have to do to make sure justice is served, for everybody.”
These homeowners also want to make sure others see through the company’s claims before hiring them.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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