Complaint Review: ELITE CLEAN AND RESTORATION - Rowlett Texas

We received a coupon for this company in ValPak for a $69.99 air duct cleaning. When they got out to the house, they said we had an "unusual" system and the cost went up to $350.00. They then dismantled the whole duct syatem, they claimed we had "toxic" mold and that they couldn't put the system back together without a "mold expert" assessment. They then caled out Mike McDowell - an alleged "independent" mold remediator. he was in our house for less than 15 minutes. He immediately asked for a credit card to charge "$1.00" to make sure the card was valid, then proceeded to have the ELITE CLEAN AND RESTORATION crew "alegedly" take samples. I NEVER SAW THIS HAPPEN. We told him outright that we had a new inurance company and that we did not have the funds right now to pay for a huge repair bill. HE STOOD IN MY LIVING ROOM AND LIED TO MY FACE! He said that the most we would have to pay out would be our homeowners insurance deductible of $1900 - Then he left because "his wife and three young children wanted him home."

Days later, after several phone calls from me asking why there was no work order, invoice, receipt, or estimate and asking what was going on, he e-mailed (after about three blank e-mails) what looked a "boilerplate" mold report from an "independent mold assessment" company called RCI ENVIRONMENTAL, INC. - who, it turns out, is a part of Elite Clean and Restoraton. Mike McDowell claimed that we had serious levels of "toxic" mold in our house and that he would file a report with our insurance company right away. This never happened - not even a phone call. After a few more days of not getting any repsponse from Elite, we gre very suspicious and closed the credit card we had given. Nonetheless, with no paperwork at all (othee than the mold report) our credit card (with a $1000 limit) was charged $5779.15!!! Of course because the card was closed aand the amount too high, it wasa declined by Mastercard. The owner of Elite "Tony" then managed to "FORCE" payment through Mastercard. When we found this out from the bank, we immendiately told them what was going on and they isued a credit card fraud investigation. I wrote a warning/complaint to our local neighborhood crime watch group Facebook page about the situation that Thursday night (after more than two weeks of dealing with Elite with no effect).

The very next day, I was "served" (at 4:30 p.m. on Friday) with papers from an attorney demanding that I stop "defaming" Elite. When I called the attorney, he admitted that he did not know anything about the situation. I told him that I was wel within my rights to voice my opinion and that it in NO WAY constitued slander, liable, or defamation - and that that's what consumer law is all about. We did receive an "invoice" way after the fact - to the tune of $5779.15. This was never agreed upon, nor authorization given. No signature on ANYTHING but the alleged credit card slip for $1.00. When I called Elite, the owner, "Tony" REFUSED to give me his last name beause he said he didn't "TRUST" me????!!!! I later found out through investigation that his name is Tony Da'Christian and that this company has gone through name changes in the past - presumably to recover from bad publicity. 

We tried hard to reach an agreement with Tony and Elite's attorney, but as of 05/16/2014 (a month after the first visit), nothing has come to pass. Tony wants me to retract everything negative I have posted, withdraw compaints with the credit card company and the BBB, withdraw my greivance with the IICRC (professional licensing association), and withdraw the criminal and civil legal actions, and then MAYBE he will refund $2000 (all per a letter he e-mailed to me, presumably without legal counsel). He has already been paid the full invoice total, and the Mastercard was paid off on our end so that he cannot damage our good credit rating.To this date NOTHING has ever been submitted to the homeowners insurance (because that would be insurance fraud, as there was nothing wrong that required such an overpriced extensive repair). I STAND BY MY COMPLAINTS. I have given the company that if they do not return all but $2000, before Monday, 05/19/2014 at 5:00 p.m., I will wait until the various agencies and courts finish and he will end up with NOTHING but legal bills and a very bad reputation. Don't be at all surprised when they change names again. They have no business cards or brochures and use plain white panel vans with no name or business informatio printed on them. Wonder why?