© St. Petersburg Times, published August 25, 2002
In May, I had my house painted by Angel's Painting. I am dissatisfied with the job it did. Yellow stains that were there before came through again. The house was supposed to be sealed before it was painted, but I don't think it was or this wouldn't be happening. In addition, the company was supposed to fix some wood, but the wood is stained and coming apart.
The workmanship was warranted for three years and the paint for 10. I called Angel's Painting about eight times and left messages for Rick Niger, the owner. At least three people at the company told me he doesn't return calls. I filed a complaint with the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board. It turns out his license has been revoked, yet he is still painting. The house is going to have to be repainted shortly, and I would like my money returned. I hope you can help me. Frank Quinn
Response: Rick Niger, president of Angel's Painting in St. Petersburg, said he was sorry the complaint wasn't taken care of earlier, but he had been out of town. He said he has contacted you and will do any work necessary to make you happy.
Niger's letter made no reference to your statement that his license had been "revoked," so we contacted the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board. Rod Fischer, the board's executive director, said Niger's license was suspended in January for failure to provide proper proof of insurance coverage, and an administrative complaint is being filed against him for contracting under a suspended license.
Niger's response to a phone call regarding the license suspension was that the proof of insurance was ready to be faxed to the board any day. When asked why it had taken eight months, he had no answer.
You could have possibly avoided this problem had you called the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board before contracting with Angel's Painting to paint your house. Had you done so, you would have found out about the suspended license and might have had second thoughts about doing business with the company.
Fischer said it is always wise to call the board before hiring a contractor to find out whether he or she is properly licensed and insured. Even better than calling the board, however, is to visit it at 11701 Belcher Road in Clearwater to look at the contractor's file. You can get the details of any complaints that have been filed and how they were handled.
Bear in mind that not all counties have licensing boards, and not all counties license the same trades. For instance, although painters must be licensed in Pinellas, this is not the case in other counties. Also, don't forget to check complaint records with your local consumer protection department, if your county has one, as well as the Better Business Bureau.
Keep the following numbers handy to check on licensing requirements and whether a contractor you are considering is licensed for the kind of work you want done:
Citrus County Building Division, license inspector, (352) 527-5349; Hernando County Development Department, contractor licensing, (352) 754-4109; Hillsborough County Development Services Division, (813) 635-7308, (813) 635-7313, (813) 635-7300; Pasco County Building Development, Contractor Licensing, (727) 847-8009; Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board, (727) 536-4720.
My husband and I had a subscription to Dish Network. In September 2000, we had the Outdoor channel added. Our subscription was up in October, so we sent a check for $296.43 and then an additional $19.62 to pay for the next year in advance.
My husband passed away in November 2000. I called Dish Network to try to get Fox Sports added, as I enjoy racing. I also wanted to get Tampa news because until then, we could get only New York City news. I was told I would need to upgrade to Dish 500. I called several times without getting results. Then I was told that only the person whose name was on the account, my husband, could make changes. I replied that because I was his widow, I wanted to cancel the service, as I was changing to a company that would help me out and get me the programming I wanted.
The company's e-mailed response to this was that I needed to send a copy of his death certificate. I did so on March 2, 2001. When I didn't receive my refund, I e-mailed the company again. It responded July 26 and said the account had been disconnected when the death certificate was received but that there were no account memos describing the death certificate, and as a result, no action could be taken on the account. Sarah Y., the representative handling my account, had been promoted out of the customer service department. The e-mail said it might be possible to backdate the account further so I would get more than the credit balance that showed, $187.81.
Nearly a year has passed with no refund. I can never get past customer service to complain to anyone else. I sure hope you can do something for me. Lois Hollister
Response: It has been a long wait, but we finally have good news for you. Gerri Santistevan, customer resolution specialist with EchoStar Communications Corp. (Dish Network) in Littleton, Colo., said charges have been reversed for services from November to March and a total refund of $261.13 is being sent to you. She apologized for the inconvenience you experienced. If you have further questions, call her toll-free at 1-866-443-5162, ext. 32721.
-- Action solves problems and gets answers for you. If you have a question, or your own attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call your Action number, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request.
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