Complaint Review: Dave Rades - Kokoon Home Kits - Toccoa Georgia

Started researching Kokoon Home Kits in December 2016... After many conversations and having house plan drawings complete, on Feb 15^th,   2017, our bank wired $22,897  to Kokoon Home Kits for down payment on a 660 SF Kokoon Home Kit, a SIP (structurally-insulated panel) type DIY home kit. This was a 75% down payment with delivery set to be April 14-17^th, 2017. Since I pointed out that was Easter Weekend, the date was pushed to the 22^nd.

April 13^th – received email saying that the floor order did not come back correct. Delivery date pushed now to May 5^th (he would leave Georgia on the 3^rd). Also learned that their pier supplier, Diamond Piers, would not be supplying the piers, so we would have to build them ourselves.    

Another delay, still waiting on floor, or so we were told. He would be here the week of May 8^th. We went ahead and ordered rental equipment to perform pre-work and have onsite for the build.

May 8^th 6:28am, we receive and email stating that they had a worker cut off his pinky finger and filed a lawsuit against Kokoon Homes. The matter was supposed to have been finished that week, OSHA satisfied (we never could find an OSHA case) and his workers would be re-hired. They would be back in production on the 15^th and our house delivered 2 weeks later. Here we sit expecting a home, incurring rental charges and no home kit arriving anytime in the near future.

May 17^th, Dave Rades admits it was his error on the floor specs, we could never get a clear understanding of what exactly was completed on the home kit materials and why the funding was constantly delayed.

May  25^th, we see a posting on Kokoon Home Kits Facebook page for a Tiny House show in Pensacola, FL, with a drawing of our house plans (an even nicer drawing). This made us wonder if our house was indeed sitting in Pensacola, Fl.

June 6^th, He was still trying to secure funding and trying to get units ordered from another city (Augusta, is what we were told on the phone).  We were offered a complete refund, including the $2000 credit for the delay. The monies were expected to be available June 9^th.

June 19^th, still no funds, now working with the Veterans Housing Authority in Montgomery, AL, as well as other contacts and avenues.  We started working with an alternate supplier for a home kit that we could build with remaining funds, until the refund came thru.

July 6^th – July 26^th more excuses, new paperwork needed, contractor was replaced, you name it, something different every week.  In the meantime, our home kit from Enercept arrived earlier than planned and we started building our home on July 17^th, in triple digit heat!

More excuses throughout August, changed floor plan, fired builder, etc.

Checked Kokoon Homes website on Sept 1^st and noticed they were attending a show in Atlanta on Sept 8^th. Booth space for their size booth was listed at $9200. Why were WE not getting that money??? I booked a flight and confronted Dave Rades, face to face. More excuses on funding delays, was told Kokoon did not pay for the space, Hartwell Homes, of Hartwell, GA. paid for the booth. I tried calling Hartwell to confirm and was told they were ordering a Tiny House from them but the person did not know about booth payment. On Saturday, I tracked down the management person for the Atlanta Home and Garden Show and talked to her about the situation.

I had made shirts I was wearing around the show advertising the fact that I got no home, and no refund from Kokoon. She asked for the details, which I provided, and also talked to the show manager. He found me later on the floor, and told me they were looking into the matter. Later that morning Dave Rades and I were having another conversation, I even gave him a marketing tip to get more business (light the inside of the homes), and he pointed his drill at me like a gun… The manager walked up at some point and I stepped away and he said he would catch up with me. About 10 minutes later he found me and told me he is shutting his display down and sending him home.

During our show conversations, Dave Rades promised that on Tuesday he would send me all the information I asked for that proved he has been truthful with us…. Never received that promised information, still hiding the truth.

Then before the Decatur show he tried to strike a deal that "he could control" payments as long as he was allowed to conduct business "unimpeded". We contacted legal counselor and have filed a lawsuit seeking our promised refund, with interest, including attorney fees. He was served with the lawsuit at this show.

In our opinion, this man should be procecuted for the crimes he has committed. I have a paper trail and proof that the incidents above are true.