Michelle Carleen Kama, Michelle Dagampat, Michelle Kama, Michelle Carleen Studio LLC ripoff, low budget designer, con artist, fraud, sleazy, do not trust this woman, no real talent, copies other's art and passes off as her own Sedona Arizona
My husband and I have a vacation home with 4Bed, 4Bath 3,502 Sq/ft in Flagstaff Arizona. We planned on doing some renovations and upgrades. Our primary residence is in Santa Monica, California. A friend suggested that I attend a interior designer's convention at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. I went there to get ideas and find an affordable designer.
That's when we met Michelle Kama of Michelle Carleen Studio LLC of Sedona Arizona. She and I hit it off. It seemed perfect she was from Sedona just south of Flagstaff and she claimed to be a freelance
designer and artist. She showed me a portfolio of artwork and some of her past projects. Her style appeared to be what I was looking for and she seemed to understand the vision I had for the home. I set up a meeting with her at the house a week later after the convention.
My husband and I meet with her and we did a walk through. She was three hours late and came with her children. I love kids but they were unruly and distracting for this type of situation. She did some measurements and a lot of scribbling in an art book. She told me she would go back to her office and work on some different designs. She told be that she would have
some sketches as well as computer generated perspectives of her designs and she would have this done in couple of weeks. At the end of this meeting she asked me to provide her with gas and mileage for her trip to our home. My husband gave her fifty dollars cash
but we thought that was rather tacky. We figured that she was a self employed mother and for her to ask she probably needed it. Two weeks went by and she hadn't called us so I emailed her for a week. She gave me the run around then finally agreed to met with us to show us the finished design. We had her come up to our home she again brought her children and some gentleman she introduced as Carlos her contractor.
Well she didn't have sketches only some computer generated floorplans. It looked rushed and unprofessional. I have my own program I purchased from Bestbuy that turned out better plans. While we are talking Carlos was walking around taking notes and wasn't paying any attention to us. We expected something more
artistic and professional especially from all of the experience she claims to have. She explained that she really didn't have enough time to express her vision. So, we sat for about four hours and we together came up with a plan. Carlos gave us an I idea of what he would charge for the construction end of it he would charge us as he completed each of the different tasks tha were required. We asked her what her fee would be to oversee this project. She did some calculating and said she would need $2200.00 up front for her design services plus the cost of materials, fixtures and furniture etc. She explain how she would get quotes for all the items we picked out and we would provide her the money as she went to make the purchases.
Well it sounded like a plan. My husband cut her a check for the $2200.00 and she, her kids, and Carlos left. She cashed that check in less than a day. Well, I tried to get in touch with her to finalize the some of our decisions. She always claimed to be on another project and that she was still negotiating prices with her supplier so that she would be getting us the best deal. Well I had to go back to California on business. My husband stayed in Flagstaff to deal with her. When he called her she immediately, asked him to met her at a coffee shop near her office in Sedona. When he met with her she started to tell him how she felt like the chemistry between them was better that with she and I. According to him she began to flirt with him. He began to feel uncomfortable and he tried to turn the conversation back the house but she keep asking him more questions about us and telling him about God and Jesus and all of her past woes with her abusive ex husband and ex boyfriends. My husband wanted to be nice because she had our money. So he finally got her to agree to met up with him to purchase the paint and laminate flooring the next day. She met him (without the kids)at this same coffee shop and she rode with him to Home Depot. He said that she didn't look as modest as she did the first few times we had met.
To make a long story short she tried to seduce my husband. Her conduct, style of dress and conversation were of a call girl and not an interior designer. She started talking street-like slang with occasional curse words to him. This was not the same person I met at the convention. She appears to be desperate for male affection. My husband said she is the type that thinks because she looks exotic that men will do anything for her including cheat on there wives. She is not even my husbands type. He made it very clear to her that he was not interested in her like that and that he would still like to do business with her and only business (again because she had our money). After that conversation we have never heard from her again. I have called, emailed, written letters to her po box and no response.
When we looked up her corporation the address of the business office is the Prism's Cafe were he met her for coffee in Sedona, AZ. And the corporation is in bad standing. We went back there to talk to the owner(who wasn't there) the cashier explain to me that Michelle is the daughter of the owner of the Prism's Cafe. She wouldn't give us any further information. We plan to take further legal action against her if we can find her. We may have to take this a a loss. We thought that she was so sweet and never thought this would happen. We never even bothered to check her references because she seemed to know what she was doing. She had talked about being a born again Christian.
This is not very Christian behavior. She is a con artist and a w***e. She has other services she wants to sell and interior design is not one of them. Don't be fooled before you invest this kind of money, do a background check. All we ended up with is paint and worthless CAD drafts. After this we did some investigating of our own and found out that the groups like ASID she is not an associate member along with other professional groups that don't have her listed. We came to other dead ends on finding out if she even had a degree and some of her past employment. If you have any information on her please contact us through this site.
Carla and William
Flagstaff, Arizona
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
samoantruth
Clifton,Virginia,
USA
I know where she is located.
#6General Comment
Mon, August 22, 2016
This Nasty tramp lives with her parents and kids. her name was Michelle Dagampat. her new facebook name is Michelle Ma Belle. I confronted her on this page. and she blocked me.
She works for fairfax county gov. pretty much s***** her way to the top. full blown w****. 562-805-8472 is the last cell phone i have. here is her work contact information.
12000 Government center parkway,suit 424
fairfax, Virginia 22035
703-324-2817 office
703-206-8458 cell
michelle.dagampat@fairfaxcounty.gov
G_has_4
Toronto,Ontario,
Canada
I am a graphic designer who was contact by Michelle Kama
#6REBUTTAL Individual responds
Sun, April 27, 2008
Hello Carla,
I am a graphic designer and I was contacted by a woman called Michelle Kama.
She told me that she is a pastor and needs 3D and graphic animation work done for presentations of her church.
She gave me her website loverescue.org . Could you please check her picture and tell me if that's the same person?
I googled her name and the first page that came up was your report.
I haven't done any work for her yet, I am supposed to contact her this week to show her something. It think it could be the same person that is in your report, because she kept asking me if people could copy the 3d graphic animation from her web page.
I am really concern about this because I gave her secretary the FTP information from my website for her to put some files there, and I am afraid she could copy my work that is there, and sell as hers.
please reply to this report asap.
many thanks
Gus
Carla
Flagstaff,Arizona,
U.S.A.
The above update was by the orginal author Carla not Lisa
#6Author of original report
Mon, June 05, 2006
I need to clear up the name confusion in the update. I am Carla not Lisa???? there was a mix up with the names for some reason. If you have any information on her whereabouts please post here. Thank you, Carla
Lisa
Sedona,Arizona,
U.S.A.
response to rebuttal
#6Author of original report
Mon, June 05, 2006
I find it interesting that Michelle has the nerve to even respond. Of course she would try to say she doesn't know us and try to discredit our claim. I resent the fact that she is completely denying what she has done, but what con artist admits to being one.
I have a collegue who is in the textile
trade and was the one who got me into this event. This event is not for the public. This convention was held in Downtown Los Angeles as
well as in West Hollywood. I never said anything about this being a public exibition. She is just playing on details that I left out.
This friend of mine thought that attending this event would be a great way to meet the type of person I was looking for, how I got in the event is irrelevant. This woman is a LIAR and is not to be trusted.
I will admit I do business with people and it is not always formal. I use my gut feelings and I
thought that she was a nice young lady. I was wrong this time.
However, that does not give someone the right to take advantage of you. She has proven in her rebuttal to know the formal way of doing business which further proves what a con artist she truly is. If her projects are in the millions of dollars why doesn't she have a real office where she can be located and/or a real website.
If we knew where to find her we could serve her
with a small claims suit. The current PROFESSIONAL designer I am working with, works with a small independent firm (out of an
office) and this group has a actual website, not a free Myspace personal website. This is more expensive route, but at least the project is moving along with no problem.
You get what you pay for. My advice, go through referrals even if they cost a bit more. People like Michelle are just looking for people to use and exploit. It's sad that people like her make it hard for the good people just starting out or working for themselves with good intention and real talent.
She would like you to believe that I am jealous of her, but she obviously is the one who is
envious and/or jealous because she tried to have relations with my husband. My husband is almost fifty. Desperate women do whatever it takes in the pursuit of money.
Furthermore, we are Christian people and as you can see she is a bit fanatical about her beliefs, that is how she fools good people like my husband and I. I wanted to bring this situation to this website to help the next potential victim of her criminal activity. I did look at her website and it speaks for itself.
I personally wouldn't go on Myspace looking for an interior designer. I thought myspace was a network for teenagers. Had I known about it I would have had second thoughts about dealing with her.
If you have any information about her or her whereabouts please email me at (((REDACTED))) I most likely will have to write this off as a loss and get on with my present home renovation.
Wish me luck!
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
Michelle
Sedona,Arizona,
U.S.A.
I never did this job, nor do I know these people.
#6UPDATE Employee
Fri, May 26, 2006
These are a series of lies that do not add up to the truth. First of all, I am an interior designer, not a decorator. This couple had never met me at a designer's convention at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles because conventions are not held there; its a design resource, not a public exhibition arena.
The second lie told by this couple is that Designer's do not bring their portfolio to the PDC, therefore they would never see designer's work there. In addition, "affordable" designers are not found at the Pacific Design Center, they would be a decorator from a public retail establishment. The Pacific Design Center is to the trade only and not a place where the general public can purchase.
Thirdly, this couple doesn't know the design process in the way I work because their "guesses" are highly inaccurate. Computer generated perspectives are time consuming, while I do 3-D hand rendered perspective drawings. AutoCAD drawings have know way to look "rushed" because they are "computer generated." Also, a designer would never ask for gas & mile reimbursement, it would be invoiced to the client. Another fallacy this person claims, that a contractor visited as well.
Unfortunately, Designers cannot hire any contractors or subcontractors, because they are not licensed General Contractors. This person noted that they had purchased a software from Best Buy and generated better plans. Now is this person a designer or struggling to be? I thought that this person hired a decorator and now is acting as a designer him/herself? (Perhaps this person is jealous of me and this is the only way for revenge.)
As for the $2,200, that budget would be too low to purchase materials, fixtures, and furniture. That sounds more like monies to accomodate for a retainer, in order to start a job. This person/s did not mention anything about a Letter of Agreement or a contract that binds the services rendered. This couple doesn't know the difference between a decorator and a designer, nor do they actually know client & designer relations work.
Lastly, this whole complaint is a lie. I never did a project in Flagstaff, nor have I worked with a couple in 3 years. I don't do renovations because that is more geared to the works of an Architect or General Contractor. I work strictly with others that are in the trade, such as other Designers and Architects. In addition, I do not take on small projects like these. This $2,200 is a budget for a decorator student, not an Interior Designer. My project workload ranges in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
Overall, as far as my faith goes, yes I am Christian, but it wouldn't be professional to discuss that with clients, unless they had introduced themselves as Christians in the first place. A designer cannot stay in business with this type of persona that these person/s created. Where as, I am a fruitful, blessed, Christian woman who praises God for everything HE has done in my life. The Lord gets all the Glory. He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and is all-knowing and omniscient. He knows the TRUTH about my work ethics and myself. If you are a believer, you will know by the Holy Spirit what is correct in your heart about me. As far as the people who'd say such blasphemy, I don't know who they are.
If you want to view my personal website, where friends can leave comments for you to view, I'd be happy to let you in on my personal life, not just from a business stand point:
myspace.com/mcarleen (Go see for yourself)