Customers out thousands of dollars

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Dara Quackenbush thought something did not sound right when her tile installer called her looking for work on Wednesday. The installer, a subcontractor for Image Tile and Carpet, told Quackenbush that the company said it had just filed for bankruptcy.

"He said he wanted to let us know, and keep him in mind for any other jobs," said Quackenbush.

The professor at Texas State University had just handed over more than $2,100 to Image Tile and Carpet in January for a "post-Christmas" present to replace the linoleum in her kitchen. When the installer said told her the news, she started calling the company, and the phone kept ringing.

According to a sign on Image Tile and Flooring's headquarters in North Austin, the company closed its doors at seven locations in Central Texas on Wednesday.

Quackenbush said she is lucky since she paid on her credit card. She said she is currently disputing the charges and her credit card company has refunded her money in the meantime.

"I feel sorry for the other customers that don't even know this is going on," she said. "I just think that the company has handled this the wrong way."

Norma Gonzales was also caught by surprise. Gonzales paid with a check for more than $1,000 of new porcelain tile. Gonzales said the tile is currently sitting at Image Tile and Carpet's Burnet Rd. location, but she is unable to retrieve it.

"I called for a whole hour," said Gonzales. "Nobody was answering for more than an hour."

"If they knew they were going to go to bankruptcy, why did they take my money?" she said.

Knocks on the door at Image Carpet and Tile's headquarters location at 2400 W. Braker Ln. were not answered. One man came out of the door, but refused to answer questions about to the customers' money. The man said he did not work for the company, then got into his car and drove away.

He returned five minutes later and remained silent as a man let him back into the door. KXAN tried to ask him questions about why the company closed. A sign on the door at that location reads:

2/11/09

Hajeer Inc.
Image Tile and Carpet Inc.
DBA
Image Tile and Carpet

We are closing our doors effective immediately!!

We are regretful that we have not been able to survive this economic slowdown. Over the past 6 years we have professionally served out 15000 customers;.

Due to the economic crisis we simply can no longer operate. Our attorney has advised us to close our doors and stop answering our phones until the Bankruptcy Trustee is appointed. A court appointed Trustee will be replacing this notice with a formal notice with all contact information necessary for our existing customers and suppliers.

Management

The Better Business Bureau has a report on Image Tile and Carpet online.  You can call the BBB with your complaint.  You can also call the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 621-0508.

To see KXAN approach the workers of the tile company in question, watch this candid video below:

 

 

 

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