JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Better Business Bureau is warning people against the Jacksonville company All American Steel Buildings.
The BBB said it has processed nearly 20 complaints in the last few years from customers about the company's services, and it's had no response to any of the complaints received.
All American Steel Buildings offers prefabricated metal buildings and their components. In the last three years, the business received 17 "serious" complaints, earning the company an F rating.
Tom Stephens, of the Better Business Bureau, says the company scammed people out of thousands of dollars.
"I saw one that was over $20,000, numbers that, you know, $10,000 to $15,000," Stephens said. "I saw one for had sent them $85,000."
Consumers say that the company requires money up front, but once the money is provided, communication ceases. Customers say they are then unable to get in contact with the company, and the product is never received.
"We pretty much tell people not to pay in full up front if you make a deposit no more than 25 percent and pay the balance on delivery," Stephens said.
The business' address is listed as 3390 Kori Road, but no one with the business is located there. An office manger said the business hasn't been located there for two years. The company is also not at another location it claims to be.
Stephens explained why the company can't be found.
"They'll use a big office building but won't use the suite number, so you can't trace them, and it looks real but it isn't," he said.
Investigators in St. Johns County said charges were filed against the owner of the company, and the case was turned over to the FBI to investigate. Deputies said the man being investigated was arrested and is in jail.
Stephens said one easy way to check if a business is valid is to check with the BBB first or do a simple Google search. A search of "American Steel" returns several negative comments against the company, a clue it may not be trustworthy.
If you have been a victim of this company, you can file a complaint with the BBB or contact the Florida Attorney General's Office.