CORNELIUS, N.C. — Chris Cawley and his wife wanted to replace the floor in their Cornelius home.
They say they hired Flowers Flooring in June and that the store was supposed to finish the job by the end of August, but that no one showed.
“We thought they were, we’re supporting a local business,” Cawley told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.
Cawley says he called, texted, and went by the showroom, but nothing. “It’s really mind-boggling,” he said. “We feel taken aback and kind of used.”
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In the meantime, Flowers has continued to post on Facebook, even this week. At one point, it even touted #CustomerServiceWeek, which sparked this comment: “Great customer service begins with not taking the customer’s money and not providing a product!”
Twenty-eight customers have reached out to Stoogenke about the business. Add up how much money they say they’re out, and it comes to $242,030. But that’s nothing compared to the number of complaints the state Attorney General’s office says it received: more than 75.
“I would think they should be held criminally responsible, that’s my own opinion,” Cawley said.
And here’s what sits even worse with some: according to federal records, Flowers accepted a Paycheck Protection Program loan during the pandemic for $188,723.
Stoogenke tried to contact Flowers and its owner multiple times in several different ways since Aug. 25. At the time of this report, he has not received a single response. And he’s not alone, the Attorney General’s office told him it asked the store to respond by last Wednesday, but that the business ignored it as well. The agency says it’s “exploring next steps.”
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