Oklahoma City (KFOR) — Several Oklahoma residents have run out of tens of thousands of dollars, accusing a cabinet store of stealing their money without completing the job.
Now, it appears that the company has closed its doors.
A Yukon couple, Brandon Banks and Allison Richards, said they paid Wilshire Cabinet about $26,000 in January to design and install new cabinets in their home.
They were supposed to arrive in May, but now the couple is worried because the Oklahoma City business, located at 320 W Wilshire Boulevard, closed last week without ever doing the job.
“These guys are nowhere to be found,” Banks said. “They removed all of their online presence. All of their cell phones were scrapped and turned off. They changed the door locks.”
Richards added, “It’s a little frustrating, sad, when you have all these dreams and you think all the pieces are in place and then all of a sudden, ‘Okay, let’s start at square one’.”
And they are not alone. Client Mark Whaley said he paid $17,000.
“I had confidence in this company,” he said. “I thought it was going to work out, and then on Friday I got the bad news that the owners are down.”
One couple we spoke with, who chose to remain anonymous, showed the KFOR a certified check for $100,000 paid to the Wilshire Cabinet. The work is not completed.
As for Dinah Joyner-Gantz, she said she paid Wilshire Cabinet about $30,000 in October. She was told to expect the installation in March, and had already gotten rid of her old cabinets before the closing happened.
“This is it. That was all our money, basically,” she said emotionally. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
KFOR paid a visit to the Cabinet in Wilshire on Monday, where a sign on the front door reads “Temporarily closed.”
We also gave them a voicemail call saying, “You’ve reached Wilshire Cabinet, Inc. We are temporarily closed.”
Employees shared a letter they received from one of Wilshire’s owners last Thursday saying they had tried to avoid the closure.
The letter read: “To my family in Wilshire, it is with a heavy heart that I have been compelled to make the decision tonight to close the doors of our business immediately. I have tried to avoid this in every possible way and really believe we will, but I have been told that I presently have no other choice.” I can issue any paychecks tomorrow.No need to go back to work as the doors have been closed.I will notify you when arrangements can be made for you to get any personal articles from the office early next week.Company cell phones, including mine and Jason’s, will be Separate her tonight. I’m so sorry. – Travis.”
Ed Blau, an attorney with Blau Law Firm, recommends that clients in these types of situations contact the Oklahoma Attorney General, contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and/or file a lawsuit against Wilshire Cabinet.
“The attorney general’s office is generally aggressive with regard to consumer fraud,” he said. “They have investigators. They have prosecutors going after these individuals, and a lot of times, criminal compensation is the only sure way someone can be made whole.”
Leslie Berger, press secretary for the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, sent KFOR the following statement when asked about the situation, “We encourage anyone who feels they have been scammed to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit as soon as possible. It is also helpful to collect all Materials related to the order or project.Anyone who paid with a check or credit card should try to stop the payment if it is still possible.To file a complaint, visit www.oag.ok.gov/consumer-protection-unit Or call 1-833-681-1895.”