PRESS RELEASE - ARIZONA ROC ALLOWS CONTRACTOR TO OPERATE WITHOUT GETTING BUILDING PERMITS FOR YEARS

ANOTHER FAILED STATE AGENCY

THE REGISTRAR OF CONTRACTORS (ROC)

In 2013, we had a plumbing problem and hired a local contractor to repair the house damages it caused. In 2013, the Arizona Auditor, Debbie Davenport, audited the ROC and stated that is was failing to protect homeowners. The audit findings were:  the ROC improperly closed complaints, delayed paying from the Recovery Fund, and poorly kept records (20% ROC records were missing or duplicated plus 40,000 ROC records had inaccurate information). We found that true because the ROC had failed to update its website and failed to properly notify the public that our contractor (owner of a plumbing and general contracting company) had no Qualified Party (state approve licensed contractor). He never should have bid our job.

Arizona Audit of the ROC: Performance Audit, Registrar of Contractors 2013 :: Arizona State Government Publications

Since then we filed a complaints with the ROC about the contractor's poor workmanship. The ROC failed to follow proper procedures and closed our complaints without a real investigation. Governor Ducey has replaced the former ROC director, Bill Mundell, with Jeff Fleetham but we are not seeing any real positive changes. In fact, our investigation has revealed that our bad contractor has failed to get proper building permits for years. We were just cited by Maricopa County Building Permit Inspectors for not having the proper permits not properly obtained by our former contractor for the installation of a hot water heater and for the plumbing rerouting and repair. We have to pay hundreds of dollars for the building permits or face huge fines.

We have written the ROC, state lawmakers, and Governor Ducey but we have received no reply. Meanwhile our contractor continues to scam the seniors with poor workmanship while failing to obtain proper building permits. The homeowners need to be aware that the ultimate responsibility of getting building permits are theirs and that if it is not done properly it could stop the sale of the home or lower the house value. The seniors in the Sun Cities area need to know that the ROC continues to fail to protect them. 

Two of our suggested reasons for the ROC's failures are:

1.  The ROC is funded by contractor dues and fees, so it is pro contractor.

2.  The ROC Recovery Funds Trust is drained by the state lawmakers into the general fund, so the ROC looks for ways not to pay the homeowners.

We suggest to check with PORA or SCHOA before hiring a contractor. We suggest you call your local state lawmakers, they are aware of this problem, and demand that they get the ROC to better protect the homeowners from unscrupulous contractors. 

The public needs to know that ARIZONA is failing to protect homeowners from crooked contractors.

DOCUMENTATION

BUILDZOOM.COM: 

Palmer's Plumbing Service in Youngtown, AZ

Palmers Kitchen Bath And Beyond in Youngtown, AZ

MARICOPA COUNTY REQUIRES BUILDING PERMITS 

FOR THE BELOW AREAS OF CONSTRUCTION:

FULL STORY

http://therealfacesofelderabuse.blogspot.com/2015/03/bbb-rates-unlicensed-plumber-that-does.html

ARIZONA LIVER LIFE WALK - APRIL 18, 2015 - PLEASE DONATE FOR CAROL FAIRALL

PLEASE HELP CAROL FAIRALL RAISE 

MONEY FOR THE LIVER LIFE WALK

Carol is one of the fund raiser for the Liver Life Walk which will take place next Saturday on April 18th. Since Carol is a liver transplant patient this is a special nonprofit that is very important to her.

Carol Fairall teaching
Elder Abuse
Prevention

Carol appreciates any dollar amount donation to this tax deductible charity that supports liver research. She is unable to walk this year like in the past because of her worsened transplanted liver rejection. She is a victim of elder abuse where her slumlord refused to remove the mold from her apartment and even refused to give her a mold free apartment. The slumlord even blocked the delivery of her medication while refusing two written reasonable accommodations requests. Sadly, Carol never saw justice when her Fair Housing Rights were violated. No, we got nearly $25,000 of wrongful judgments for a disputed $4,000 debt for moving early to save her life.

In the past five years she has volunteered over 10,000 hours writing Facebook and newspaper articles on elder abuse, giving presentations how not to be a victim of elder abuse, and communicating to state and federal lawmakers about needed elder protection laws.

CAROL FAIRALL AT THE LIVER LIFE WALK TWO YEARS AGO

Millie Toedebush and Carol Fairall
at Liver Life Walk

This was a picture of Carol Fairall and Millie Toedebush at the Liver Life Walk two years ago. The event is at the Indian Steele Park in Phoenix. Millie is 99 years old and another elder abuse victim. Millie is still alive and we see her often.

Please help Carol raise money for her favorite charity. That is Carol's wheelchair that is now uses all the time because of her transplanted liver rejection caused by the elder abuse she suffered (exposure to toxic mold by a slumlord).

IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET A LIVER TRANSPLANT IN ARIZONA 

BECAUSE OF THE LACK ON DONORS

Arizona ranks as the worst state to get a liver transplant because of the lack of donors. 

There are over 6,000 liver transplants a year in the United States but over 1,500 people die waiting for a transplanted liver. Over 27,000 people die a year due to liver disease. Presently, the four Arizona hospitals that do liver transplants have 300 people waiting for a liver donor in 2015. That is 14% of the total for the entire nation of 4,207 people waiting for needed liver transplants. That is very sad for Arizonans.

LIVER DISEASE IS THE 4TH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHS IN ADULTS

Over six million children have liver disease and 75% of the infected public are unaware they have liver disease. Up to 5.4 million Americans have chronic Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C which costs almost $16 Billion a year to treat. Hepatitis is ten times more infectious than HIV.

The ways you can catch Hepatitis are:

1.   Shared needles and tattoos
2.   Unprotected sex
3.   Alcoholism
4.   Poor nutrition
5.   Hospitals
6.   Kidney dialysis
7.   Travel to areas with poor sanitation
8.   Blood transfusions
9.   Mother-infant transmission
10. Other diseases

Hepatitis A has a vaccine and it comes from contaminated food and water. Hepatitis B can be prevented with a vaccination and the recovery time is six months. Hepatitis C is incurable because no vaccine exists.

Hepatitis is highly infectious. Household Hepatitis is spread by shared razors and toothbrushes (anything that might have blood on it).

Carol Fairall in the hospital facing transplant liver rejection

SPECIAL NOTE: Carol's liver rejection was caused by childhood diseases. She had her liver transplant on October 30, 2007. Her liver transplanted rejection started in 2009 when she was exposed to toxic mold that her apartment slumlord refused to resolve. That is why we fight elder abuse and support the American Liver Foundation

 APRIL IS NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH -

ORGAN DONATING - THE GIFT OF LIFE

An average of 80 organ transplants are performed every day. But 123,000 people are on organ transplant waiting lists in the United States. An average of 21 people die every day because an organ transplant was unavailable. Ninety percent (90%) Americans say they support organ donations but only thirty percent (30%) have taken the essential steps to become an organ donor.

Please donate the Gift of Life by becoming an organ donor.

In April 2013, we attended the DONATE LIFE EVENT at the Arizona State Capitol. We had the honor to meet the "Thanksgiving Mom" and listen to her story. Her daughter had died in an automobile accident and six of her organs were used to save the lives of six people. Those six people are grateful and spend every Thanksgiving celebrating together with the Thanksgiving Mom. It was truly an inspiring story but no press or state leader heard the story because few came to this important event.

SAD!

NOTE: For more information about DONATE LIFE go to:

http://donatelife.net/

ERMA BOMBECK - WAITED TOO LONG FOR A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT AND DIED 

 APRIL IS NATIONAL DONATED LIFE MONTH

Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck (02/21/1927 - 04/22/1996) was an Arizona writer of books and newspaper articles

about the humor in everyday life. I knew this fantastic lady when I worked at Valley National Bank located at 44th St. and Camelback Rd. in the late 70's.

Ms. Bombeck was so funny and kind. She would bring the staff presents on their birthdays and at Christmas time. She never used her money or influence to get to the front of the line for her needed kidney transplant. In the 80's she earned a million dollars a year due to her popularity.

Erma Bombeck was an Arizona Hero who changed the life of everyone she knew or read her writings. For more information see: The Erma Bombeck Project

April is National Donated Life Month so please sign to be an organ donor on your driver's license and legal documents.

LAST DAY TO SUPPORT CAROL FAIRALL AT SATURDAY'S LIVER LIFE WALK

List of abused seniors at Senior Living Facility

This week we have been trying to raise funds for the Liver Life Walk being held this Saturday at the Steele Indian Park. We have only raise 70% of our $150 goal and the event is short of its goal by 33%. Times are difficult to donate but the need is so great so we ask you to donate today to this very worthwhile charity.

Carol received her transplanted liver in 2007. She was told she was the lucky ones because at that time she got her living saving transplant while 19 other people died. Sadly, it took a case of landlord retaliation of not resolving a toxic mold problem in her former senior living apartment house to start her transplanted liver rejection in 2009. That slumlord even blocked the delivery of her medication and ignored two written reasonable accommodation requests by us and our attorney. We have never received any justice for us and the 38 decease seniors that were abused by the senior living apartment house.

James Koenig

We have been fighting for the rights of the elderly since then with over 20,000 hours of volunteer efforts. Our accomplishments have been rewarding since we discovered that senior living apartment manager was a Medicare Fraud Felon and he is now back in jail for parole violations. The senior living apartment house has gone bankrupt and the feds are destroying the facility because it is dangerous with bad electrical wiring and toxic mold. Finally, we were able to get the Ponzi scheme mastermind, James Koenig that created the problem a jail sentence of 43 years. The judge stated that Koenig deserved the long prison sentence not only because of the $250 million he defrauded from 2,000 investor but for the 23 senior living facilities he destroyed causing over 2,500 cases of elder abuse.

Thank you Facebook Friends for your interest in fighting Elder Abuse and Fraud.

NOTE: We will be at the walk this Saturday because they will be interviewing Carol about her efforts in fighting elder abuse. We believe Carol received the Gift of Life in order to help protect so many seniors from elder abuse.

SPECIAL NOTE: The website to donate under the walker name Carol Fairall “THE REAL FACES OF ELDER ABUSE” is:

Liver Life Walk Phoenix 2015 - American Liver Foundation

Arizona Needs An Inspector General to Fight Corruption

ARIZONA NEEDS AN 

INSPECTOR GENERAL

Mark and Carol Fairall - March 20, 2015

If you have a problem with a state department or agency the only recourse you have is to complain to the Arizona Ombudsman. The Arizona Attorney General (AG) refuses to investigate state corruption. We know because we suspect corruption at the Registrar of Contractors (ROC), inspector bribes, but the AG and ROC has done nothing to stop the criminal activities at the ROC.  

The Ombudsman is a lazy toothless dog that should be eliminated because it is expensive to pay people who do nothing to protect Arizonans. Eleven other states have Inspector Generals to help the Governor crackdown on state corruption. The fact that Arizona was rated number #1 in state corruption by a recent Harvard Study cries out the fact that Arizona needs an Inspector General.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2015/03/19/duceys-inspector-general-bill-advances/25004009/?fb_action_ids=834654979904067&fb_action_types=og.comments

CONTRACTOR FRAUD IN ARIZONA

In May 2013, I had an under slab water leak and hired Robert Freund, Palmer’s Kitchen, Bath, & Beyond (PKBB) and Palmer’s Plumbing (PP), but at that time he did not have a valid contractor’s license. The Registrar of Contractors was slow in updating its website to reflect the contractor license problems. PKBB had no Qualified Party and should not have bid the job and PP had lost its license in 12/12 since the Qualified Party had quit. Robert Freund hired Carpet Glo, a floor cleaning company, which has no contractor’s license to remove mold. According to Mr. Mather, the subcontractor, he was not fully paid and that Robert Freund, general contractor, failed to pay him $3,000 on the $6,000+ job.   These unlicensed contractors have caused damages to my home in excess of the Registrar of Contractors’ (ROC) Recovery Fund limit amount of $30,000. Robert Freund lost the rights to use the Ben Franklin Plumbing franchise in 09/2014 to Michael Charles Brewer.

I filed the ROC Complaints against PKBB #2014-251 and PP #2014-250 on 1/17/2014. On 02/26/2014 the ROC Inspector Stephen Lawton waived the required attendance of Robert Freund at the ROC inspection of the house damages in my complaints.  I had hired a retired policeman and private eye, Jacob Mueller, to be present at the inspection because I had been threatened by an employee of PKBB, Derrick King. Mr. Lawton had a private meeting with the bad contractor, Robert Freund, and closed my complaint in secrecy on the same day. ROC’s Stephen Lawton said my damages were the worst the ROC had seen but when then I received the ROC’s wrongful decline dated 06/30/2014.

I suspect Contractor Bribery because Stephen Lawton told me he was friends with our bad contractor, Robert Freund, and that they both worked in Youngtown. This was overheard by my private eye when Robert Freund failed to show up at the ROC house inspection.  ROC’s Stephen Lawton failed to follow inspection procedures, tried to blame the contractor’s no-show problem on me, closed my ROC complaints in Robert Freund’s Youngtown office on 02/26/2014, and then staled for another four months before issuing the formal declines. Stephen Lawton was the Building Inspector in Youngtown for a year and five months and was terminated because of poor work, according to a Youngtown City Council member.

The ROC is covering up its website update slowness problem and has dragged on the investigation and the production of public documents on my failed complaint investigation for over a year when it was closed in one month. The ROC had an Audit by Arizona’s Auditor General at the time on our problems with our contractor in 2013. The audit of the ROC found that 20% of the ROC records were missing or duplicated plus 40,000 ROC records had inaccurate information.  I have written Governor Brewer on 07/14/2014 about this problem. I have written the Arizona Ombudsman on 10/19/2014 about this problem. I have written the Arizona Attorney General (AG) on 02/10/2014 and 01/25/2015 but nothing is done. This is intentional fraud by the ROC and according to state law I am entitled to twice the damages, which is $60,000.

Meanwhile my family and I are under attack by the bad contractor which has resulted in three police reports for threatening phone calls on 08/08/2013 and suspected property damages (cut electrical wiring and slashed tires) on 02/21/2014 and 04/09/2014. Now I have had my citrus trees poisoned in November 2014. On 05/09/2014 Judge Gerald Williams approved Injunctions against Harassments to protect us from Robert Freund and Derrick King. Judge Williams stated that it “went to pattern” concerning my property damages because of Derrick King’s bad temper and criminal record. My family and I are currently being stalked by Robert Freund and Derrick King every day when they ride by my home staring while making obscene gestures. It is terrible to live in so much fear of our lives that I had to install a video monitoring system and hire extra police protection.

Presently, I have a jury trial against me for the nonpayment of the contractor’s $3,800 unearned monies scheduled in the North Valley Justice Court on May, 01, 2015. I already paid him nearly $14,000 for poor workmanship that does not pass safety and building codes. My losses exceeds $100,000 due to damages to our health, house damages, and the loss of value to the house.  Robert Freund is using this baseless lawsuit to delay press coverage of his contracting without a valid license and using threats, sabotage, and property damages to harass me. Robert Freund has forged documents of the contract submitted to the court as evidence. The Justice Court has let this baseless lawsuit drag on 420 days by ignoring Court Rules of Procedure Deadlines. I filed a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Complaint on 02/15/2015 but the contractor ignored the complaint, failed to answer the complaint, and the BBB dropped his grade to a C+. I have posted this contractor problem on the internet to warn the public.  Internet Posting:

http://therealfacesofelderabuse.blogspot.com/2015/03/bbb-rates-unlicensed-plumber-that-does.html?spref=pi

The Registrar of Contractors, Ombudsman, and Arizona Attorney General are doing nothing so I have gone to our Lawmakers and the Governor of Arizona for help.

THE ARIZONA REGISTRAR OF CONTRACTORS AND BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU ARE FAILURES

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:

http://www.azauditor.gov/Reports/State_Agencies/Agencies/Registrar_of_Contractors/Performance/13-04/03-04Report.pdf

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 ROC does nothing to stop the poor workmanship unlicensed plumber scam. 

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:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/real-estate/2015/02/24/arizona-building-industry-lost-most-jobs/23942549/?fb_ref=Default

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 local Sun City West INDEPENDENT newspaper wrote about this scam as the front page news on January 14, 2015 (picture #12).

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

We are preparing for our defense in the jury trial on May 1st that Robert Freund has filed wanting $3,800 over the $13,700 already paid to him. Palmer's Kitchen Bath & Beyond and Palmers Plumbing provided substandard workmanship by his hired unlicensed subcontractors with threats. Sadly the ROC has done nothing even when the plumbing company is not properly licensed.

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