Iraq Veteran's Kitchen Remodeling Not Completed By Company
Feliz Perez has not been happy with his kitchen for several months
A South Florida Iraq war veteran ran into trouble after he hired someone to modify his home to accommodate his motorized wheelchair.
A South Florida Iraq war veteran ran into trouble after he hired someone to modify his home to accommodate his motorized wheelchair.
Felix Perez did a lot of work around his Kendall home to make life easier, but for several months he has not been happy with his kitchen.
Perez has a contract with Smart Buy Kitchen USA in Doral and paid for most of the modifications in advance. But he told NBC Miami that the dishwasher has to sit out into the floor area and that there are gaps in the countertops between the walls and the appliances. Perez also said the kitchen did not match the design layouts.
"It is basically not finished. When you ask a person to do something for you, you expect a finished product, not a half-done product," Perez said about the kitchen modifications.
Perez paid over $7,300 for the project.
"Apparently they worked fine until a certain point, and then they never returned back," Alejandra Castro-Nunez of Miami-Dade Consumer Protection said about the contractors.
But in spite of Perez's visits and calls to Smart Buy Kitchen USA, nothing has been done, he said.
"I have been trying to get a hold of them and it just doesn't happen. They are trying to evade," Perez said.
The owner of Smart Buy Kitchen USA told NBC Miami that he did not know about the trouble.
"I'm sorry I sort of sound in shock, but this just came to me from your phone call," owner Gilbert Ouaknine said. "Obviously, it's something that needs to be taken care of and we will take care of it."
The county says there have been two other complaints filed against Smart Buy Kitchen USA. One customer got a refund and an attempt was made to satisfy the other.
Smart Buy Kitchen USA also has an F rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Miami-Dade Consumer Protection said that consumers should always check out references for contractors before hiring them.
"Don't pay for everything up front. Always leave something to pay at the end," Castro-Nunez said.
Posted Tuesday, Jan 10, 2012 - 7:57 PM EST
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