Texas Interior Designer stole our money

5 years ago

Does anybody have any insight or experience on how to start pressing charges? Is this a breach of contract or criminal theft?

We signed a contract with her in January, and work was supposed to start beginning of May. Long story short, she sent me invoices for tile, countertops and cabinets that we paid her for. She then disappeared right before work was supposed to start (we had even cleared out our entire 1st floor already!). After tracking her down, she admitted to some personal life issues, and convinced us that she needed this job and she was back on track. Well…of course we were duped because that’s been our luck :(
We got our floor tile, backsplash (not after her text arguing with our contractor over quantity-she accused him of skimming tile off of the top…), and got our cabinets.
She then told us a date our countertops were arriving, which came and went! She hadn’t ordered them, and of course, we cannot get a hold of her.
Next step is filing charges at this point! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Comments (7)

toxcrusadr
5 years ago
You need to get a lawyer, I think.
K Laurence
5 years ago
And, perhap the local law enforcement (assuming it’s not just a civil matter). How much $ are we talking about? More details needed.
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kculbers
5 years ago
You definitely need an attorney. Find out if she is a career criminal. Ask the Better Business Bureau in your state if she is registered with them, and also make a complaint about her. How did you find out about her? So sorry this happened to you.
Olychick
5 years ago
Did you pay for anything with a credit card? You may have some recourse through them.
computerklutz
5 years ago
As others have stated hiring a lawyer. However
You could do small claims court which is cheaper and quicker than civil court. Small claims covers up to $20,000 and you can file yourself. If you are out more than $20,000 and hire a lawyer, Texas allows triple damages in cases of deceptive trade practices.
Olychick
5 years ago
Small claims court amounts are different in every state. In my state, WA, the limit is $10,000. You may still need an attorney to try to collect your judgement. And even if you get a judgement, it can be difficult to collect if the defendant has no assets.
dksulliv
Original Author
5 years ago
We are planning to consult a lawyer this week and go from there. I agree, I think civil court may be best. I’m not sure what the Texas limit is, but will look into that, thanks for the tip! I really do not want her stealing from anyone else, and continuing the cycle. Unfortunately there is so much work that people need done here, she may be on to the next scam.