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Family Gets McGinty in contractor dispute

There's nothing cooking in the Bubak house, thanks to a kitchen remodeling job that put their kitchen out of commission.

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- There's nothing cooking in the Bubak house, thanks to a kitchen remodeling job that put their kitchen out of commission.

The family turned to Get McGinty to turn up the heat on the kitchen company as they try to get their money back.

Like so many women, Vallee Bubak wanted a dream kitchen.

She says, “I'm angry, devastated and heartbroken."

Why? Vallee hired Custom Crafted Kitchens and Baths in Mooresville, a company with an "A" rating from the BBB. The company's website said they were licensed and insured, and Vallee expected perfection.

"I had every reason to believe I was working with a reputable company," Valle said.

What she got were gaps and rough edges, both up high and down low. One screw that appears to hold the large wall cabinet, and where the wall socket used to be, the counter cabinet half covers it-- and the electrical wire is still in there.

Vallee got nervous about what she saw, and asked for a second opinion, and that's when the word "permit" was mentioned. Mecklenburg County had no record of permits being pulled for the job, and according to North Carolina law, if the job involves moving plumbing and electrical, and this one did, you must have permits.

Then there's the issue of a license. When NBC Charlotte was researching this story, we couldn’t find a general contractors license connected to this business.

We went to Custom Crafted Kitchen and Baths to ask them about the seemingly sloppy work, and we wanted to know why permits weren't pulled for the job, but they simply referred us to their attorney."

When we last checked, their website no longer says the word "licensed".

At the moment, the Bubak's kitchen is useless; all power to most of the appliances has been shut off, pending inspections.

Mecklenburg County has put a hold on the job until the electrical and plumbing work can be inspected. This means, most of Valle's kitchen will have to be torn out, examined, and put back. It’s why she wants her money back-- all $48,000 of it.

After NBC Charlotte got involved, a settlement was reached between to the company and the Bubak family and the Bubak’s say they’re satisfied.

Your online review could land you in legal hot water

How often have you complained about something? Bad food at a restaurant? Bad service? How about a botched remodeling job? But what if you were told that you could be sued based on the scathing online review you write? Would it scare you off? Keep reading.

Vallee Bubak was ticked off at Custom Crafted Kitchen and Baths, the company she hired to remodel her kitchen. There were gaps in the woodwork, wires left in the wall, and to boot, the necessary county permits weren’t pulled so no inspections were done. The whole kitchen has to be ripped out and redone, so Vallee posted a negative online review.

“I posted very factually that this project had turned into a nightmare for us,” Vallee said.

Vallee posted that the company, at the time, didn’t have a general contractor’s license, something needed for a job over $30,000, per state law in North Carolina. She also posted they didn’t pull county permits, again, required when you move plumbing and electrical.

But then, something unexpected showed up.

Vallee says, “Within a couple of days of me posting this online review, I received a threatening letter from their attorney."

The letter says Valle’s “conduct is actionable and unacceptable” and she must “cease and desist her harassing and defamatory conduct immediately.”

That letter went on to say she had to sign an agreement saying she wouldn’t say anything bad about them in the future, and if she didn’t, she’d face defamation and, libel claims.

Attorney Brett Dressler is a member of the firm Sellers, Ayers, Dortch and Lyons in Charlotte. Dressler represented the Bubak’s and settled the case to their satisfaction.

Dressler says post away if you want but added, “The most important thing you can do is keep it to the facts, and the second most important thing you do is make sure it’s true and make sure it’s accurate.”

Truth is always a defense, but make sure you can back it up and definitely stay away from “opinion”. Avoid words like fraud, scam and con-artist; those can mean something criminal.

As for the validity of the reviews you read to educate yourself, buyer beware. Sometimes the owners or people who work there will post glowing reviews about themselves and their business.

We found a review online by Erin Freitz saying Custom Crafted Kitchen and Baths “are truly awesome at what they do”. Odd thing is, Erin Freitz is the owner of the company and lists herself as such on her Facebook page.

The attorney For Custom Crafted Kitchen and Baths said Erin was quoting a very satisfied customer, but the review didn’t say that.

Tom Bartholomy is president of the Better Business Bureau and says, “As long as you disclose that, 'Hey, I’m the owner of the company and here what our customers have said,h but if you are trying to say and make it look like it’s coming from one of your customers, then we have a problem with that.”

Custom Crafted Kitchen and Baths has an A rating with the BBB.

As for Valle’s kitchen, she’s getting what she wanted, most of her money back and a different company redoing the remodel.

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