BBB RATES UNLICENSED PLUMBER
THAT DOES NOT ANSWER A COMPLAINT A "C+"
The Registrar of Contractors (ROC) botched our complaints
against Palmer's Plumbing (#2014-250) and Palmer's Kitchen, Bath, and Beyond
(#2014-251). The ROC inspector waived
the requirement for the bad contractor, Robert Freund (picture #1), to be at the ROC
Inspection of our house. We even hired a Private Eye to guard us since the
contractor's employee, Derrick King (picture #2), threatened us. The ROC took six months to
investigate an unlicensed contractor problem and wrongly declined us. The ROC
has delayed the production of the public documents on our two complaint
investigations for nearly seven months.
ROC COVER-UP
The reason for the
delay is because the ROC is covering up its failure to keep proper records as
documented by the 2013 Arizona Audit. The audit found 20% of the ROC records
were missing or duplicated plus the ROC had 40,000 inaccurate records. The ROC
failed to update its website to reflect the problems with Robert Freund's
contractor companies, no Qualified Party, which misled us. The Freund
contractor companies should have had its licenses SUSPENDED long before the ROC
took any action to correct it records. The ROC is taking no responsibility for
its mistakes, trying to delay the release of Public Documents, and is trying to
cover-up this problem beyond the two year Statute of Limitations.
The former political favored appointee, ROC Director - William Mundell (who had
no contractor background), was just replaced by the new Governor Ducey. The ROC
is simply another inept agency that is failing to protect Arizona homeowners. See
Arizona Auditor General report about the failing Registrar of Contractors:
The ROC records FOR Robert Freund's contractor licenses show a pattern of often being SUSPENDED or CLOSED DUE TO INACTIVITY (picture #3)
PALMER’S PLUMBING
The problem is that our bad plumbing
contractor, Robert Freund, uses several names, which are:
1. Ben Franklin Plumbing: Robert Freund lost the franchise name in
September 2013 and another plumber uses that name in the Sun Cities.
2. Palmer's Plumbing Services: That is the plumbing company name but it lost
it Qualifying Party in December, 2012 and it is not licensed.
3. Palmer's Kitchen, Bath, &
Beyond: That is the name of Robert Freund's
general contracting company but the contractor's license does not include
plumbing.
On 02/15/2015, I filed a BBB
complaint against Palmer's Plumbing dba Ben Franklin Plumbing. Robert Freund lost the Ben Franklin franchise
in September 2013. The Registrar of Contractors (ROC) and the BBB are doing
nothing about this unlicensed plumber that destroys homes. The plumbing contractor, Palmer's Plumbing dba Ben Franklin
Plumbing, just had its Better Business Bureau (BBB) grade dropped from an "A+"
to a "C+" (picture #4).
THIS IS SHOCKING because the BBB continues to give this unlicensed
and unresponsive plumber an above average grade. Palmer’s Plumbing has no
contractor's license, the unlicensed plumber failed to respond to our
complaint, and the plumber lost the right to use Ben Franklin
Plumbing franchise name when it lost its franchise rights in September
2013. The local HOA's, Sun City West Property Owners Residents Association
(PORA) and the Sun City Home Owners Association (SCHOA), have not "referred" Robert Freund's companies for years because of excessive poor workmanship
complaints. The BBB is not reliable because it fails to protect the public from
bad companies.
We spoke to the Youngtown AARP
Chapter members about this Youngtown plumber, Palmers Plumbing, which makes
between $5 to $10 million a year without being licensed (picture #5). Arizona’s Kathleen Hudson,
AARP member and owner of a painting company (HIS Service, Inc.), stated that
this is a major problem because unlicensed contractors always unbid them
because they do not pay for insurance, licenses, and quality work employees.
The bottom-line is that you get what you pay for and to hire licensed
contractors. Two members who work at Home Depot also stated that they are hearing
about more problems about unlicensed contractors and their poor jobs. The point
was made at the AARP meeting was that the ROC is poorly run, not stopping
unlicensed contractors, and failing Arizona Homeowners.
The
PALMER’S
KITCHEN, BATH, & BEYOND
Robert Freund's general contracting company, Palmer's Kitchen,
Bath, and Beyond, does have a general contracting license but it does not
include plumbing. This bad a dangerous contractor destroyed our house with
substandard workmanship that does not meet building and safety codes, caused
additional damages of burning cabinets, intentionally sabotaged our kitchen
waterline by crimping it, and threatened us with harm. My house damages exceed
the ROC’s Contractor Recovery Fund limit of $30,000.
We have had threats, sabotaged work, and property damages which
has resulted in three police reports and two granted Injunctions against Harassment
to protect us from Robert Freund and his employee, Derrick King. The judge said
that our property damages “went to pattern” because of Derrick King’s bad temper
and criminal record. Some pictures of the house damages, the mess left by this bad contractor, and property damages (pictures #6, #7, #8 and #9). Now our citrus trees have been poisoned (picture #10).
MISUSE OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM
On May 1, 2015 we are defending ourselves in a
jury trial on Robert Freund's fifteen month old lawsuit for $3,800 after we
paid nearly $14,000. Robert Freund has kept this lawsuit alive so long to block
any negative press about Palmer's Kitchen, Bath, and Beyond.
The Justice of the Peace Court has helped keep
the lawsuit active by failing to hold Robert Freund's Attorney to Civil Rules
of Procedures of filing of legal documents within deadlines. We have filed a
FRAUD OF THE COURT MOTION because the court is being misused by allowing more
time for Robert Freund’s criminal activities of: scamming the elderly with poor
workmanship, intentional work sabotage, false adverting, operating without a
valid contractor's license, and additional property damages including attempted
murder.
ARIZONA’S TANKED BUILDING INDUSTRY
CONTRIBUTES TO CONTRACTOR FRAUD
In Arizona the building industry has
tanked so the contractors are desperate. The ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF
AMERICA just released the report stating that Arizona lost 4,300 construction
jobs in 2014. Arizona was the only western state to lose construction jobs
(California increased 26,000 jobs and Texas increased 47,500 jobs). The outlook
for improvement is bleak.
Single
family housing permits dropped 75% to 20,000 in 2014 from the high of 80,000
during the housing boom. Commercial vacancy are up 25%. Arizona has failed to
keep up with the US after the Recession and only has recovered 75% of jobs
lost. Arizona is only running at half speed in the building industry. Growth
has always been the "key" to Arizona's economy.
The report puts the reason why Arizona is doing so poorly is
because of Arizona's poor reputation in education. Arizona's educational
performance and funding is near the bottom nationally. The bottom-line is the
fact that population growth is down because families do not want to move to
Arizona so businesses are not coming here. See the Arizona news story about the
most contractors jobs lost nationwide in 2014 at:
The chart showing Arizona's contractor job losses compared to other states (#11).
SUMMARY
This lack of a BBB warnings and the
lack of ROC legal repercussions for running the unlicensed PALMER’S PLUMBING
puts the PUBLIC AT RISK. The inability for the media and BBB to warn the public
about PALMER’S KITCHEN BATH, & BEYOND because of the excessively long
baseless lawsuit puts the PUBLIC AT RISK. The lack of media coverage has allowed this
scam to remain invisible.
The Arizona Ombudsman has failed me
because it caused more delays and closed my complaint before it even reviewed
the ROC Public Documents on my failed contractor complaints. The Ombudsman and
ROC refuse to provide me the Public Documents on my ROC Complaints without a
charge. The Ombudsman, Keith Meyer, told me to beg to Arizona Officials for
help in obtaining the Public Documents needed for the May 01, 2015 trial.
We are begging Arizona Officials for
help. We are warning the Public about this bad and dangerous contractor, Robert
Freund, because the ROC and BBB are failures.
WE ARE WATCHING OUR
POISONED CITRUS
TREES DIE
While we prepare for trial we are watching our poisoned
citrus trees die from the property attacks that we have experienced. We had to destroy
all the fruit because it was unsafe from the poison. Four mature citrus trees
valued at $10,000 a piece are added to our loses. It is amazing how Robert
Freund's employee, Derrick King, made good on his promise that he would hurt us
and our home if I did not give him $7.000 in cash. I will be renewing the
Injunctions Against Harassment granted to protect us from Robert Freund and
Derrick King this week for another year.
Come to
the May 1st Trial and see why Robert Freund's lawyer likes living in Arizona
where the homeowner does not have strong laws that protects them from bad
contractors and baseless lawsuits.
POISONED CITRUS TREES DYING
Do you know of any bad real estate transactions from them?
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