Decorators Model Home Inc Complaint - Chicago business scamming people

Posted by Ponie on 2006-09-29:

For pete's sake--you paid almost seven thousand dollars in full for furniture before a stick of it was delivered? Not too good business sense, I'd say. I don't blame your husband for being ticked off!

Posted by DORCAS on 2006-10-01:

I feel bad for your situation but it's not too unusual for furniture to take that long if not longer to be delivered. It's also not unusual to have to pay or begin making payments even before the delivery. However the company you are dealing with is acting very unprofessional in not answering your questions. If you go back and look at alot of the complaints on this site you will unfortunately see that this is a standard and frustrating situation. I am only going by other reasons for the long delays in delivery. Companies attempt to get as many orders as possible before filling them because of the cost of transporting them from such a distance. So while they are saving money in the long run, you are awaiting your new stuff. I'm not sure there is too much you can do at this point. I can only hope it makes the arrival before your husbands return home. I hope the joy of seeing him after such a long separation will erase the frustration you are feeling. Good Luck to you both.

Posted by Ce on 2006-10-12:

Thanks for the support. I realize that it can take a while for the furniture to be deliveried due to trying to fill a truck. But if he could give me a bone to gnaw on like a purchase invoice it would make it much easier. In the meantime, I have also found out that he is no longer an authorized dealer for AICO, the furniture manufacturer and no longer a registered user on ebay. So Mel is losing cool points at an alarming rate.

Posted by Bermybabe on 2006-10-31:

I also have also had problems with this company - I purchased over 4.000 worth of furniture over 8 months ago -
also given lots of excuses - please contact me if you can offer any advice to try and reclaim anything - they are not answering any calls.
Sally

Posted by keich on 2006-11-02:

What Mel from Decorators Model Homes is doing is Fraud by Deception and is a Felony. You should file a police report located in your area. Give your local police department all of your evidence and then ask them to contact the Cook County Detective Office at 708-865-4896 to report this crime. This is considered a Felony on any amount over $500.00. The number for the Cook County Sheriff office who handles the county where Decorators Model Homes resides is 847-635-1188 for more information on what to do.

Posted by Ce on 2006-11-04:

I have contacted the sheriff's dept and filed a report. I also contacted the State atty general and they contacted Mel. Sheriff's dept has not gotten back with me. I would like my money back but him being thrown in jail and being Bubba's wife would give me some satisfaction.

Posted by Bermybabe on 2006-11-06:

Thanks for the advice - I will contact these numbers and let you know if I get any response. I feel so angry at being deceived but when I purchased the furniture from ebay they had a good track record. I lodged an appeal with ebay - normally complaints have to be made within 45 days which is not possible when ordering large items of furniture that you expect will take 4-6 weeks delivery. I call Mel daily and leave a message on his machine.

Posted by Ce on 2006-12-27:

Mel finally paid me after the state atty and the cook county sherrif got involved. He sends the certified check overnight, but forgets to check SAT delivery. The package is COD, but says that he has increased the check amt to cover it (fee was $20 he increased only $10)and spelled our last name wrong. He told us he used UPS and gave me a tracking number, he used Fedex. This guy was a football bat to the bitter end. But am glad to be done with this debacle and not to have lost but $10.

Posted by txwendy on 2007-03-22:

Keich...Thank you for the information. I've been out $3500 for over 6 months...no furniture, no refund...and heaven forbid, no returned calls for almost 2 months. I appreciate the input!!

Posted by juicedog1 on 2007-04-16:

I need someone's help! I ordered furniture from this clown in July 06, and 9 months later I only have 2 of the 3 pieces ordered. I have filed with the BBB (they are no help) and attempted to file a police report (but they said since he delivered some of the goods this is a small claims court case). I do not know what the next step should be? Can someone who has been wronged by this man please get in contact with me? Thanks!

Ryan
ryanmhertz@hotmail.com

Posted by DVDifiore on 2007-05-10:

I am a lawyer representing a defrauded customer. I would like to communicate with anybody who has been scammed by these people. please email me at difiore@insdef.com

Posted by ladder111 on 2007-07-09:

Hey all - I too am a victim of these clowns as well as 20 other people who we have been in contact with concerning Interior Innovations and Decorators Home Models Inc. We have colected some wonderful information on them and we have verified that "Gil" is really Mel Lieberman and he uses "Gil" when dealing with people from Interior Innovations and Mel when using Decorators Home Models Inc. Anyone wanting to contact me we are collecting all the info my email is strong_iris@yahoo.com. We have found this site, http://www.melleiberman.com/ which will show you all what a fraud they really are - there are so many people they are scamming and it has to stop! Save all your paperwork, file with the BBB of Chicago, IC3 Internet Fraud On-Line Form, Attorney Generals Office in Illinois as well as your home state - let's work together to get these people!

Posted by ladder111 on 2007-07-09:

I need to reply again - it is so important that anyone scammed by these people file all the necessary paperwork - the IC3 Form, BBB of Chicago Form, Attorney General's Office in illinois as well as a local police report - because it is not in my jurisdiction they just suggested I file one so it is on file, make sure you keep everything pertaining to Mel, Gil, Chris Conner, Angel, and anyone else you may have been in concat with regarding Interior Innovations and Decorators Model Homes Inc. We are trying very hard to get these people and any info you have contact me. I also advise you all to contact difiore@insdef.com the lawyer on this site who is collecting info, trying to get them

Posted by ladder111 on 2007-07-09:

Everyone - It is me again, listen I was just contacted by a lawyer who is in NY who said they may be able to help us to file a suit in Federal Court agains these people, I have also been in concat with DVDiriore and she is going to contact him as well. Contact Carlos Gonzalez at cgonzalezesq@aol.com and tell him what happened to you - if we can get this suit filed on a no fee basis then lets all ban together to get these guys. They are still doing this to others as one guy contacted me and his was this July!

Posted by ladder111 on 2007-07-11:

Hello all - i hope you are reading these cause I wanted to let you all know I contacted the Special operations Unit at the Cooks County Sheriff's Dept. Explained this whole scam thing and they want all the information mailed to them and they will contact the Attorney general's office in Illinois to make sure this is stopped and help us. Please email me at strong_iris@yahoo.com for the info. Thanks and I hope this helps

Posted by ladder111 on 2007-07-27:

Hello all - it is me again, i just wanted to let you all know that there might be a light at the end of this horrible tunnel. After speaking with Vicki Greene on numerous occassions, i finally rec'd my refund check in the mail today - now i just have to make sure it clears with the bank. I am telling everyone persistence paid off and you all need to do the same thing - contact her and tell her your story - who you were dealing with and what furniture you ordered - apparently according to her, the warehouse is packed with furniture and Mel uses her warehouse. I want everyone to be taken care of, not just myself this has got to stop and we are the only ones who can do that - call her and keep calling her until you get back your money or your furniture.

Posted by txwendy on 2007-08-02:

Update - Anyone who has been a victim of Decorators Model Homes, Inc, Mel Lieberman, or any of his other businesses, please take note:
You need to file a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's office - you can send a letter or use their form, located at: http://www.ag.state.il.us/consumers/filecomplaint.html
Scroll down - the form is an Adobe file.

When you mail in the form, please send it to:
Office of the Attorney General, State of Illinois
Attention: Daniel Ligocki, Consumer Protection Division
100 West Randolph Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601

I spoke to Mr. Ligocki today and he said the investigation is very active and any information you can provide would be most helpful. When you write, be sure to include copies of all pertinent information that you have.

Posted by dlnw on 2007-09-29:

I was also scammed by these people. I have contacted one of our Chicago news station's investigative teams. If any of you could also do this, I think we might be able to convince them to expose these jerks. There is an online form to submit a complaint:

http://cbs2chicago.com/investigativetips

Thanks

Posted by msf on 2007-11-17:

Has anyone had a positive experience with this furniture dealer?

Posted by vivianbrown63 on 2009-07-25:

I too have been taken by this company which is now using the name of Furniture Discount Source Inc • Berwyn Illinois Phone: 773-698-0926 and The man is now Randy and when he did call, the caller ID said Sirena Calderon this was also the name Paypal has listed for him. I lost $2,200.00 as with everyone else it was 4 to 6 weeks for delivery tnen after that he had the wrong item shipped to him so that was the first delay,(which when i ordered i understood it to be in stock) then after that he was no longer dealing with this company because they were not reliable. ect... Anyone having a law suit or who can help me call me at 618-968-2452

Posted by wantaresolution on 2009-10-20:

On April 30, 2009, I paid Furniture Discount Source (Sirena Calderon), via Paypal, the amounts of $2,000 and $4,168 for an 8-piece bedroom set. Shipping was to be 2-4 weeks. To date, I have only received two nightstands, a mirror, and a damaged dresser. The dealer, Randy Calderon, will occasionally call me with "updates" as to shipment of the remainder of the furniture/replacement dresser, despite my constant e-mails to him; his voicemail is "full". Does anyone currently have a lawsuit against this individual? If not, does anyone know a lawyer who would be willing to take my case to court? Thanks!

Posted by KenPopcorn on 2009-10-20:

Doesn't Paypal offer you any protection? I thought that was the whole purpose of using Paypal.

Posted by wantaresolution on 2009-10-21:

Paypal is a joke...you only have 45 days from the date of the transaction to open a dispute. After the first delay of two weeks, it was too late to dispute the sale.

Posted by southerngirl777 on 2010-01-21:

Randy Calderon is a first class scam artist. He scammed me out of $2776.00. It was my first time on ebay making a large purchase and I thought I had a great deal on the web from furniturefurniture.net, little did I know I would experience a nightmare in customer service. The website looked so legitimate and furniture looks great but believe me when I say this that what you see is not what you get! My furniture was a imitation version of what I ordered on the internet. But he tried to make me believe it was the same set. When I told him about the internet site having a different set he immediately said the set was discontinued and within a week the site was down.

In Nov 08 I ordered a dining room set which included table, hutch and chairs. Jan 09 the furniture still had not been shipped from California and one excuse after another. The embarrassing part is that I believed him because he presented himself as a caring trust worthy person. I asked him if I could get a refund so did provide a replacement that was suppose to be coming from Illinois and could be delivered with two weeks. After numerous phone conversations and what I thought was geninue updates the furniture still didn't arrive as he had said. Once again one excuse after another. Then the furniture was shipped to the wrong location, repacked and finally arrived in Apr 09 ALL BROKEN! This was a very said day for me. We talked on the phone and he tried to coerce me in to signing for the property which would have been a grave mistake on my part. I asked for a refund but he said no I had to file with the shipper. The shipper ESTES Freight said it was not their policy to give a refund for property that was apparently in poor condition upon arrival to their warehouse. I got a lawyer from Prepaid Legal to help and Randy still would not bend and give me a refund. I called E-bay and the 90 days had passed and Randy knew this so they could not help me. I was told to call IC3 to get some help. Then a few months ago I stumbled on this website and called Vivian Brown who he has scammed too. I am going to contact the Attorney General and anyone else to get the we need to get his man. I thought e-bay would help but they said it is out of their hands. Randy is a smooth talking criminal. I have heard that he is still scamming others and he needs to give all of us our money back.

Posted by wantaresolution on 2010-01-22:

I have filed complaints with the BBB, my local police department, the Berwyn Police Department in Illinois, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, and the Illinois Attorney General; I have also informed the JAG office on Ft. Stewart since my husband is active duty military and I am a Department of Defense civilian. The BBB says my case with them is closed since the police are now involved. Does anyone have a lawsuit with Randy/Mel or Furniture Discount Source/Decorators Model Homes?

Posted by southerngirl777 on 2010-01-22:

Hello wantaresolution

I will be filing in Chicago very soon just a matter of getting everything lined up because according to my attorney it would be better for me to go to Chicago to have a better shot at getting my refund that is.. if the cops don't catch up with him first. I live in Alabama. Vivianbrown63 who commented above is still seeking her money too. So far that makes three of us that are still actively seeking to our money back.

Posted by wantaresolution on 2010-01-22:

Southerngirl777, please keep me posted and I will do the same. I am located in Georgia. You can write me at cmaha33@hotmail.com, if you want. Has Vivanbrown63 been able to make any progress?

Posted by littleyaya on 2010-01-22:

You know you guys can go to each others blogs and send messages to each other. Do you really want us all to see your email addresses?

Posted by wantaresolution on 2010-01-22:

Note to southerngirl777 and vivianbrown63: have you guys posted yet on www.complaintsboard.com or www.ripoffreport.com?

Posted by southerngirl777 on 2010-01-24:

Yes I posted and I also used the website Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) A partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance which acts to receive and investigate complaints ...www.ic3.gov/

I did this in May when I contacted Ebay and Paypal who said they could not do anything since the 90 days had elapsed and I needed to contact IC3.gov.
I haven't heard anything from IC3.

Posted by wantaresolution on 2010-02-16:

For those of you who are still actively pursuing this matter, I received a letter back from the Attorney General of Illinois stating that there is already an existing lawsuit against Furniture Discount Source; my name has been given to the lawyer in charge of the case. There is no guarantee of any monetary restitution, although I may be asked to serve as a witness.

Posted by wantaresolution on 2010-02-25:

I spoke today with Daniel Ligocki, Consumer Protection Division, of the Office of the Attorney General, State of Illinois, regarding the lawsuit against Mel Lieberman/Decorators Model Homes. Please contact me personally if you would like more specific information.

Posted by PepperElf on 2010-02-27:

um. you just gave a bunch of strangers your phone number...

without knowing whether or not we're sane?

Posted by bearkatkitten on 2010-02-27:

Southerngirl... this is a public forum. Get your personal information off of it. Any one (or many) of m3c's members could be insane.

Posted by PepperElf on 2010-02-27:

hell some of us even cavort with werefolk so... there you go.

I have an entire army of WereGiraffes and a small legion of WereGoats.


so yeah... we might not be sane... ;-)

Posted by Rabbi M on 2011-02-08:

Decorator Model Homes Inc.
Owner Mel L. passed away February 2010 in Chicago