I would also like to make it very clear that I am writing you as a Former employee of the aforementioned Olneya Restoration Group. I know that in the past your publication has worked closely with the Olneya and has put them in print a number of times. As a former employee, I am writing to let you know that this business may not be one that you wish you give free publicity to in the future. The information I’ve detailed below is lengthy and covers an array of topics but I assure you it is the tip of the iceberg.
As a former employee, I know for a fact that Olneya is not as financially sound as they often boast.in order to afford the expensive salaries of absentee management, a lot of current and former low-level employees are being taken advantage of and lied to in order to "maintain company profits." My true fear is in knowing that all of the extreme and unethical behaviors that have transpired in order to preserve the company's bottom line are not enough. I worked closely with the suppliers for Olneya and a company that took in seven figures worth of revenue in the month of May should be able to pay their bills but somehow we weren't. It seems that there are hundreds of customers that are moments away from having their properties liened if Olneya's line of credit runs out. With our biggest supplier, I knew that time was coming. Please keep in mind a majority of these customers, a conservative estimate would be 98%, are working with Olneya exclusively to complete mandated repairs per an insurance scope of loss, meaning an insurance claim. This speaks to the ability of Olneya's customers to inevitably pay their bill twice in order to have a lien lifted; most would not have easy access to the thousands of dollars it would take to pay for the material that Olneya defaulted on. Olneya is specifically targeting customers that are in dire need of their services, have the funds provided for them, and yet they are putting these individuals at risk of a mechanics lien due to their own fiscal irresponsibility.
In the past three months, there have been at least a dozen employees who have left the company either by choice of their own, due to "downsizing" or by simply having a difference of opinion with the owner, Crystal Anderson. A lot of these “changes, ” as the multiple firings were referred to by COO Robert Williams, are due to an entirely new management staff. Due to the economy, current employees are scared to leave the company as it is common practice for former sales staffers to be denied commissions they are owed, usually valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, and most individuals are slandered/blamed to cover up short-comings of upper management. There are many individuals that plan to, or have already, complained to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industry about unethical business practices such as; denying overtime pay, misleading sales staff about their legally binding pay agreements, and blatant refusal to issue employees pay. Since complaining to a state agency will only cause problems for the company, many former employees are being forced to seek private legal counsel in order to obtain the pay Olneya should have issued willingly instead of using to fund vacations, boats and salary positions for their friends.
As you can see there are a number of inconsistencies between the face of the company, Crystal Anderson, the brand which she paid someone to cultivate for her, and the reality of how her “family” is treated. What’s even worse is the treatment of insurance companies and their personnel. I have heard, Ms. Anderson herself brag about getting an adjuster fired and how much profit she can squeeze from these companies. I won’t go so far as to say Olneya is defrauding insurance companies but it wouldn’t be a far cry from what they are doing to their employees current and past employees.
My personal nightmare of dealing with Olneya is behind me, however for their customers due to the financial woes of the company, it may just be starting. I hope that you take this letter seriously and don’t take for face value the words spoken By or About the Olneya Restoration Group. At very least, please don’t let one of their marketing gurus or their presence at a charity event make you forget about this post. The Olneya Restoration Group presents itself as a means for helping homeowners deal with a devastating loss due to Mother Nature but in reality Crystal Anderson is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, nothing more than an ambulance chaser. When taking advantage of an insurance company wasn’t enough to satiate her greed, she took from her employees. Legally, I can’t stop her from operating but I hope this will keep her from getting more business.
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