I was a victim of a possible fraud by Mr. William Wallace who does business as (DBA) The Shutter Factory, Custom Shutters International (CSI) and William Wallace Inc. Like other victims of Mr. Wallace that I have been in contact with, I was a former customer of the Shutter Factory (2000 and 2004). Both times, the Shutter Factory installed great shutters. So in June when I needed shutters for my newly renovated kitchen, I contacted the Shutter Factory. I sent in an e mail request to www.theshutterfactory.com for an estimate and received a call back from Mr. Wallace's associate Stacy who scheduled an appointment for the estimate.
Mr. William Wallace came out to my house in early June measured the five windows for shutters and e mailed me a written estimate for the work. Mr. Wallace requested a 50% deposit which I paid by personal check in the amount of $1024.64 which Mr. Wallace endorsed and cashed. The estimate indicated that the manufacture and installation of the shutters should take about 6 weeks.
In August I attempted to contact Mr. Wallace to obtain an update on my shutter order. I left voice mail messages, sent a Fax and mailed a letter without a single response. I have called the listed phone number 972-881-7511 at least twice a week since the beginning of August leaving voice messages without receiving a single response. I visited the Shutter Factory address on Summit Ave in Plano to discover that the location was vacant. The Shutter Factory is no longer in business and their Plano factory is closed. The Allen Texas address is a PO Box. The Better Business Bureau has the Shutter Factory listed with a grade of F. I was advised by the Texas Comptroller's Office that Mr. Wallace was operating an illegal business.
I have given Mr. Wallace ample opportunity to contact me to provide an explanation why he has not contacted me to provide an update on my shutter order and provide a firm date on their installation. I can only assume from his lack of response to me and other victims, he may be perpetrating a fraud by taking money from customers and not providing the shutters. My next move will be to law enforcement and/or the courts. If William Wallace is committing a fraud, he should and will be held accountable.
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