On October 21 I was married for the first time after waiting for 14 years for the man of my dreams to marry me. After settling in to his house as a married couple, I wanted to make the place look less like a bachelor pad and more like a married couple. My first task was to get blinds and shades to replace the towel and pillowcase my husband used on the windows!
I am a big believer in local store support. I try never to shop at the "big box" stores like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Sears and the like. I frequent the local vendors such as the local farmers and mom & pop stores. So I didn't go to Blinds to Go or Sears or JCPenny's to get blinds but I want to support a local store.
Unfortunately, what has happened to me has made me lose my belief in local mom and pop stores and I will be using "big box" stores for any large items I will be purchasing in the future. And unfortunately this had to be the first thing I did as a wife and my husband is none to pleased. This is my story
On May 2 Mitchell Poller, a representative from both Countrywide Draperies & Blinds of Bloomfield, NJ and American Draperies and Blinds of West Orange, NJ came to my house in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. He wrote up a work order/invoice for one wooden blind and three roman shades. On this same day, May 2, I gave Mitchell a deposit check for $1,300.
On August 30 Mitchell Poller installed my one wooden blind. The wooden blinds that I received cost $208.65, therefore I am due a refund of $1,091.35 for the undelivered roman shades. While installing my blinds Mr. Poller said I should be receiving a refund check soon. As of today, May 16 (almost a year later) I have NOT received my three roman shades or a refund check. I was informed that I would have these three roman shades installed in my house by June 15.
Also from June 15 until this moment I have been given every excuse in the book to why I do not have the shades, from the wrong fabric was ordered to the shades were made going the wrong way. Starting on June 15 when I started calling the store at least once a week I spoke to a Patricia Reilly and once in awhile I would speak to Mitchell directly. Patricia Reilly would always be nice and tell me Mitchell was at a job site and would get back and she did not know what the hold up was.
I have since dug deep into reports about this company and have found that Mitchell Poller and Patricia Reilly have been running this "good cop, bad cop" scam for years. They have moved their company 4 times. They had a store in Montclair, East Rutherford, West Orange and now Bloomfield. They have also changed the name of the company numerous times - Countrywide Draperies & Blinds, Remnants to Go, American Draperies & Blinds, and Interior Designs of America.
On February 20 I filed a complaint with Bloomfield Township against Mitchell Poller and Patricia Reilly. On March 11 Mitchell appeared in court (without Patricia Reilly) and pleaded not guilty and the judge ordered mediation. On April 15, Mr. Poller and Ms. Reilly and I appeared for mediation. The original complaint I had was they owed me a refund of $1,091.35 ($1,300 deposit minus the $206.65 wooden blinds received).
When the mediator asked for our stories, I went first, then when it was Mr. Poller's time he said he agreed with everything I said that he did not give me my three roman shades and yes I did give a deposit. So the mediator asked how we were going to resolve this issue. We negotiated that Mr. Poller and Ms. Reilly were to give me $941.35 plus my fabric that would have been used to make the blinds. Mr. Poller and Ms. Reilly were to have both the check and fabric to me by Thursday, May 7.
On May 7 I did not receive either the check or the fabric. The mediator informed me that if this negotiated deal was not met by Mr. Poller and Ms. Reilly that the deal would be null and void and they would owe me my full $1,091.35. On Wednesday, May 13 I went back to court and asked the judge to re-open the case against Mr. Poller and Ms. Reilly. We are all to show up to court again on June 2. I am not sure what is to happen, what the courts can actually do, but I am asking that both Mr. Poller and Ms. Reilly be put in jail as this is theft.
Back in 2007 Mr. Poller and Ms. Reilly did this to a woman in East Rutherford a Ms. Vinci Governali, who also filed a theft report with the police dept and after some local coverage she received her money back. They have also done this to other people, Kessical Furichard of East Rutherford and Al Flejzor of Wallington, who at the time of the story had still not received their stolen money. These two despicable people, Mitchell Poller and Patricia Reilly, will keep doing this to people until someone stops them.
I have spent hours in courts and hours worrying about my stolen money. My husband and I should be enjoying the honeymoon stage of our marriage; we are trying to have a baby and should not have to deal with the added stress of criminals. Someone needs to stop these horrendous people from continuing on preying on other innocent people.
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