(WSVN) - She paid for her dream kitchen but ended up with a nightmare of a mess. And unfortunately, this homeowner is not the only victim.
7’s Heather Walker investigates.
The kitchen is called the heart of the home. But Jennifer Sime was left heartbroken, after her dream of a picture-perfect kitchen was crushed.
Jennifer Sime: “This is what they promised to look like and this is what it looks like.”
Her kitchen remodel was supposed to be finished by the end of May. But, thousands of dollars and almost three months later, the work is far from done.
Heather Walker: “This is not the dream kitchen.”
Jennifer Sime: “Not at all, Not at all. This is not what I was expecting.”
The island is missing along with the sink and there are no countertops.
Jennifer Sime: “When you open this, it doesn’t open all the way back.”
The work that was done is far from perfect.
Heather Walker: “Wow, it’s not even attached.”
Jennifer Hired ProMart USA out of Lantana, Florida.
Jennifer Sime: “I was between them and two more and I don’t know, that was the biggest mistake.”
Things started out fine after she paid her $12,000 deposit.
Work started ahead of schedule and Jennifer was excited.
But her mood quickly changed.
Jennifer Sime: “We started seeing the issues and when I had asked him to fix it. he said, ‘If you want me to fix it, you gotta pay more.'”
Heather Walker: “Were you worried then?”
Jennifer Sime: “Of course.”
That is when things went from bad to worse.
She says the company stopped answering her calls and abandoned the job.
Jennifer Sime: “I worked the whole year putting my savings to get it done.”
Jennifer is not alone.
Among the reviews, some of which are positive, 7 Investigates found more than a dozen other customers across Florida with similar complaints.
One customer saying on Google Reviews, “I should have read the reviews of ProMart USA before doing my kitchen!!! Big mistake. Now they are not answering phone calls, text or emails.”
Another says, “Whatever you do, don’t use this company they are a scam.”
ProMart USA has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
We tried calling the company. The number no longer works.
But 7 Investigates was able to track down the owner, Garth Smith of Lantana, Florida.
He told us ProMart USA has been shut down and he is now operating under the name ‘Creations.’
But Smith denies his company did anything wrong.
Garth Smith/ProMart USA owner. “There is no person that has paid us for a kitchen and we have not completed it, not one single person.”
We asked him to explain all the bad reviews calling the business a scam.
Garth Smith: “Because, because they want us to finish the kitchen and they are not paying for it.”
Smith acknowledged that Jennifer had paid and agreed to refund her for the supplies that were not delivered.
Garth Smith: “We will honor to give the money back for whatever work was not completed.”
Jennifer found a new company to finish her kitchen and says she learned an old lesson the hard way.
Jennifer Sime: “Pay with a credit card or just pay them when they finish.”
It also helps to look at company reviews before you hire them.
Heather Walker, 7News.
CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com
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