BEWARE of Thomas Suarez of Southern Window Designs, who is eager to take your money and run. Suarez met me at our new house to measure windows for shades, blinds and plantation shutters, and of course, collect half of the money owed for deposit on the sizeable order (into the $thousands). He didn't take credit cards, now I know why.
Suarez came back out to our house two times, once to put up temporary blinds the day we moved and the 2nd time to install plantation shutters on 4 windows and install 5 small blinds. Suarez said the shades (10 large) had not come in yet. After promising to be back with the shades when they came in, he left and I never saw him again.
Upon closer inspection of the installations he completed, we found most of the screws that attached the blinds to the window facing were put in crooked, not straight in, some were sticking halfway out. Where Suarez pulled down the temp shades he also pulled the paint with it and we had several top window facings to repaint. He never mentioned this when he left. (I was not there due to an appointment and my husband is in a wheelchair and was not able to inspect Suarez's work.)
After a few weeks went by and he did not return my calls, I found several more phone numbers for him on the internet. This happened the first part of 2006 and I spent nearly the whole year leaving dozens of messages on all of Suarez's phone numbers, but he never called back. I found a number for his wife and called her. She said she knew nothing about this, but promised to deliver the message to Suarez. Suarez did call back with several excuses: his supplier went bankrupt and he never got the shade order from them, etc. When I asked why he didn't return the dozens of calls I left, he said he never got any of them. Right. When asked why he didn't just call to inform us of the problem and delay, he had no answer. Suarez then promised to refund what was left of the deposit after subtracting the cost of what he already installed, which left almost $800 to be refunded to us. You guessed it, we've never gotten it back.
Oh yeah, when Suarez came to our house to measure the windows, my single elderly friend was also there. She made an appointment for him to measure her windows. When he came to her house he measured, took her $400 deposit, and she never saw him again. She also never had any of her calls returned. I asked Suarez about her the one time he called back and he never got her calls either, but promised to return her money, too. Yep, she hasn't seen her money, either.
Unfortunately, Suarez is still working the window covering market, stealing what he can. I don't understand how he can keep on and nothing happen to him.
Cheryl
Jacksonville, Florida
U.S.A.
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