ORLANDO, Fla — Heidi Busher of Orlando paid a $1500 deposit to replace part of her fence, but she claims the company never built the fence and won’t return the money.
“I think it’s despicable, honestly,” Busher told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal.
The company, Knight Fence, is a company Action 9 has warned consumers about before.
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In March, Jeff Deal reported on Knight Fence and its owner Charles “Ron” Brown. Back then, Debbie Hendrickson had a similar complaint after paying more than $2000 up front.
Deal asked, “What do you think about somebody who’s treating customers like this?”
Hendrickson replied, “They need to be out of business.”
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When the Action 9 team tracked Ron Brown down, he promised to pay Hendrickson back.
Deal asked, “So, you’re going to give her the $2,400 back?”
Brown answered, “Yep.”
But Hendrickson said after he sent a few small payments, Brown stopped responding.
This time, Action 9’s Jeff Deal caught up with Brown while he was walking his dogs in Orlando and said, “We didn’t expect to have to see you again. We got another consumer complaint. Heidi Busher says that you took her $1,500 and never built the fence.”
Brown answered, “We’re bankrupt.”
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Busher signed a deal with Knight Fence in January after a storm damaged it last year. She’d used the company before on another part of her fence and felt the work was ok.
She said, “Just wanting to support local business. So, after that first experience, I didn’t have any qualms about giving him repeat business.”
But after paying that $1500 deposit, getting Knight Fence to do the work became a hassle. According to Busher there were excuses and delays. Finally, Ron Brown admitted he couldn’t do the job and promised to refund her deposit in about a week.
Busher said, “One week turned into two… turned into three.”
It’s now been since April that she claims she last received a response. She showed the Action 9 team a text message with him responding with the message “going as fast as possible” after she asked for an update on getting the deposit back.
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Knight Fence is ‘F’ Rated by the Better Business Bureau with other complaints about Ron Brown taking money and not doing the work. Action 9 also saw last month, someone with the same first and last name and middle initial, opened an LLC for a fencing company with a different name. Its address is listed at the UPS store about two and a half miles from Brown’s home.
But the Charles R Brown who runs Knight Fence told Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal he didn’t start the new LLC.
Deal questioned, “That’s not you?”
Brown answered, “No.”
Deal responded, “You’re not planning on opening up another business under a different name?”
Brown again replied, “No.”
Heidi Busher hopes not. She doesn’t want him doing any business anywhere in Florida again.
“People need to be aware, but he needs to be stopped, like it’s just horrible,” she said.
Brown said to Jeff Deal, “What do you want me to say?”
Deal answered, “We’re just trying to get answers for the consumers.”
Brown said, “If I had the money, I’d give it all back. I’d give them back tomorrow. Soon as I have the money, they’ll get the money back. Is that okay?”
Jeff Deal asked, “You’re going to give them the money back?”
Brown answered, “Yeah.”
Brown is also being sued by businesses that claim he owes them thousands of dollars. Even though Brown claimed the company is bankrupt, Action 9 couldn’t find any bankruptcy filings for Knight Fence.
When hiring for home repairs or renovations, it’s best not to pay for the entire job or make large deposits up front. It’s less of an incentive for companies to do the work or do a good job. It’s also important to research any company you’re thinking about hiring.
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