Complaint Review: Home Design Solutions; Jack Santarelli; Anthony F Marino - Mandeville Louisiana

I am in  the middle of a project and the following is occurring:

1.  The job was quoted at 42 days.  I am currently on day 99.

2.  EVERY single job that has been perfomed within this project has had to be REPEATED.  (not kidding)

3.  Continue to get the run-around when attempting to pinpoint when tasks will be completed.

4.  I am KICKING myself for not going with my gut regarding the integrity of the contractor.

I feel so trapped, not to mention $25,000 poorer.  We still owe money but of course the job isn't complete.  Any advice?

Supreme Court of Louisiana #2009-B-1185 Adam F Hutton is disbarred and his license to practice law is revoked due to "evidence of professional misconduct, dishonest & selfish motives, refusal to acknowledge wrongful nature of conduct, vulnerability of the victim and indifference to making restitution".

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

HEY, JACK.  Did Adam complete the legal work you paid for?  I see you have not turned in your bank statements and cancelled checks that bankruptcy court requested.  It looks like you may need to get another attorney to complete the work if you expect to continue with your bankruptcy.   

DON'T YOU HATE IT WHEN YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU'VE PAID FOR.  I GUESS YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYBODY!!! 

I, ANTHONY MARINO, A BUILDER AND DEVELOPER FOR OVER 34 YEARS, HAS NO ASSOCIATION WITH HOME DESIGN SOLUTIONS OR JACK SANTARELLI OTHER THAN DOING INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR WORK FOR HIS COMPANY.

I HAVE LEGAL PROOF THAT I AM IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH HIM NOR WAS I AT ANY TIME.  I DID WORK FOR HIS COMPANY IN A ROLE AS A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER OR OVERSEER.  I RECEIVED NO MONEY FROM ANY CLIENT.  I SIGNED NO CONTRACT WITH ANY CLIENT, ALTHOUGH IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT SANTARELLI PUT MY NAME ON THREE CONTRACTS WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE.

THE NAME ONLY WAS ON THE CONTRACTS, I DID NOT SIGN THEM WITH THE CLIENT; THERE WASN'T EVEN A LINE FOR MY SIGNATURE, ONLY HIS AND THE CLIENTS.  I HAVE AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AGREEMENT THAT I MADE WITH SANTARELLI BEFORE I EVER WENT TO WORK AS AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR OUTLINING THAT I WAS NOT PART OF HIS COMPANY IN ANY WAY AND THAT WE WERE NOT NOR NEVER WERE PARTNERS, AND THAT HE WAS NOT PART OF MY COMPANY, THEN OR EVER.  THERE WAS ALSO A CLAUSE STATING THAT HE NOR I SHOULD EVER STATE THAT WE WERE PARTNERS OR THAT HE OR I HAD AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OTHERS COMPANY.

I DID ONE JOB FOR SANTARELLI AND I DID IT TO HIS SATISFACTION.  HE DID NOT PAY ME WHAT WE AGREED TO.  MY NAME DID NOT APPEAR ON THAT CONTRACT, AS IT SHOULD NOT HAVE.  HE WAS PAID BY THE CLIENT, AND THEN PAID ME A FRACTION OF WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO.

I STOPPED WORKING AS AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR FOR SANTARELLI WHEN HE DID NOT PAY ME FOR THE WORK I PERFORMED, AND I FOUND OUT WHAT HE WAS DOING .  AGAIN, I NEVER COLLECTED ONE PENNY NOR SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH ANY ONE OF HOME DESIGN SOLUTIONS CUSTOMERS, AS THEY HAD CONTRACTS WITH HDS AND SANTARELLI, NOT ME.

I NEVER REPRESENTED MYSELF AS HIS PARTNER NOR AS AN OWNER OF HOME DESIGN SOLUTIONS.  I DID MEET A FEW OF HIS CUSTOMERS AND I WAS CAREFUL TO EXPLAIN THAT I WAS HIRED BY SANTARELLI TO OVERSEE HIS ONSITE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES.  I NEVER GAVE AN ESTIMATE TO, NEGEOTIATED A CONTRACT WITH, TOOK A DEPOSITE FROM, OR COLLECTED MONEY FROM AN OF HIS CLIENTS.

IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO ME IN PERSON, YOU ARE WELCOME TO CALL ME AT 985-966-4735, THIS IS MY PERSONAL CELL PHONE NUMBER. 

BY THE WAY, I DID ATTEMPT TO HELP THE FILER OF THIS REPORT AFTER I FOUND OUT THAT SANTARELLI WAS NOT FINISHING THE JOB.  I OFFERED TO FINISH HER JOB AT NO COST OTHER THAN SHE PAY THE BILLS FOR THE WORK WHICH WOULD HAVE COST HER NO MORE MONEY THAN THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT WITH SANTARELLI.  I OFFERED THIS TO HER NOT IN AN ATTEMPT TO SETTLE ANYTHING BUT IN AN OFFER OF SYMPATHY FOR HER PROBLEM WITH HDS.  THE OFFER STILL STANDS EVEN THOUGH SHE SAID WOULD CONSIDER IT BUT CHOOSE NOT TO PROCEED FURTHER.           ANTHONY MARINO

The woman that traveled from Houston ripped off the company listed.  She did not provide full information on where she received her funding and ripped off the Road Home funding and the State Historical Society for her grant money.  She lied to us and never paid for  $14,000 worth of supplies that were stored in her house.  The ONLY reason she showed up was for the company to release a Lien that was placed on the property for non payment.  Her son liked to carry a gun and threaten people when meating with state officials from the Historical Society.  Her neighbors alerted us to all of these facts and that her property was in bad shape BEFORE katrina, not after like she told the company AND the LRA road home for money.  Again, contractors are not always to blame but customers that don't get their way, will always cry wolf so they can blackmail contractors into doing what they want or else they will go on sites such as this and slander them.  These are facts that can be proven by all parties.  People that don't pay usually will make a company go out of business because they can't pay their vendor bills when customers rip them off, no one hears these stories.

Jack Santarelli of Home Design Solutions was a no show at bankruptcy court today.  7 creditors, including an elderly lady in a power chair who traveled from Houston, waited 30 minutes to confront the "man" that took their money.  His attorney was unable to reach him by phone.  I guess we will have to wait another day.  HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT, JACK?????

Home Design Solutions filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Louisiana Case Number 09-12604 on 8/20/09.  A meeting of Creditors is set for September 21, 2009 at 11:30 a.m., location E. Edward Hebert Federal Bldg., #111, 600 S. Maestri Street, New Orleans, LA 70130.  Home Design Solutions also received violations with the La State Licensing Board of Contractors, in April 2009 found GUILTY AND A CEASE AND DESIST ORDER WAS ISSUED and in June, 2009, finding not available online.  Also, it appears that Jack Santarelli is operating a new company in Mandeville without state or local business licensing under the name Home Improvement Coordinators, 839 Heavens Drive, Suite B, Mandeville, LA, phone number 985-792-4646.  He also had a company in Texas prior to arriving in Louisiana, TCS General Contractors, however, according to the contractors board in Texas, he was unable to provide proper documentation and withdrew his application for licensing.  Lastly, not only did Jack Santarelli and Anthony Marino meet my disabled son, they met my mother, who also lives with me.  She is physically disabled and has dementia.  SHAME ON YOU JACK SANTARELLI AND ANTHONY MARINO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

This person's project was ONLY stopped because she did not want to pay a charge to have her concrete poured, a charge that WAS NOT included with her project scope. She stopped the project and the company had to call of the workers that day. The company had not charged this customer for additional fill dirt above and beyond and discounted her project over 30% to help her be able to get the project completed. She also never mentioned her son having this illness and it is unfair to post a comment like this without having all of the facts. This is one persons story that doesn't match with three others involved with back up facts to prove. This should not be a "shoot first and ask questions later" posting, that's what is wrong with the business world and why posting like this are unfair to companies trying to make a living and help others as our company set out to do. She is very experienced in this field as she built her own house and even the site work on the property and has pictures to prove that as well. We have spoken to the lawyer involved and are trying to make some kind of settlement. Again, her depiction of the facts are not true and she is trying to make this company look bad because she didn't get this concrete pump truck for FREE!