Action 9

Companies promising window treatments holding big deposits

ROCKLEDGE, Fla. — A purple heart recipient in Rockledge contacted Action 9, claiming he felt taken after he gave a window treatment company a large deposit months ago.

“We were on a mission in Kandahar, Afghanistan,” Ken Peck said as he pointed to a photo of him in uniform.

Peck, a combat-wounded warrant officer, was medically retired for injuries sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom.

He and his wife were hoping to settle into their new Rockledge home.

The couple saw an ad for shutters and called for a free in-home estimate. They liked what they heard and signed a contract with Deco Dream Plantation Shutters for window treatments totaling over $7,000.

Peck had to pay some of that upfront.

Peck claimed he was told he would “need a 60% deposit down in order to procure the materials,” to which he replied, “OK, that’s fine.” He then wrote a check for the deposit totaling $4,195.

He says the job was supposed to start in six to eight weeks, but when he was told it could take much longer, he asked to get out of the contract. Deco Dream refused.  Now, more than three months after paying that big deposit, he’s worried about losing the shutters and all his money.

Action 9 found a link between Deco Dream and another shutter company also based in Sebastian. That company, Dynasty Shutters and Window Treatments, has a disturbing record.

Deco Dream’s owner, Troy King, told Todd Ulrich he had been part of Dynasty Shutters, and Peck’s contract included a Dynasty connection in its fine print.

Dynasty Shutters is rated F at the Better Business Bureau, with 78 complaints in a year.

A customer in the Villages told Action 9 she paid Dynasty a $560 deposit a year ago for shutters that were never installed.

Cinthya Lavin is with the Southeast Florida BBB. “If there is a link from one company to another company that had been a bad player, we’ll look into that,” she said.

The bureau is reviewing Peck’s complaint, the first against Deco Dream.

In general, Lavin advises against cash-only deposit demands.

“We advise them to pay with a credit card because they have some recourse if the company disappears or fails to provide services,” Lavin said.

Deco Dream’s owner, King, denied any current relationship with Dynasty Shutters, saying that the contract linking the two was a typo, and he’s willing to work out a payment schedule with Peck to refund his full deposit.

“I’ve seen the worst of humanity in combat, and I just want to live out the rest of my days in peace. And the last thing I want to be doing is fighting with somebody over plantation shutters and blinds,” Peck said.

There can be delays delivering window treatments, so using a credit card and avoiding cash deposits can protect you.

And yes, we checked. There are many companies in central Florida accepting credit card deposits for plantation shutters.

Todd Ulrich

Todd Ulrich, WFTV.com

I am WFTV's Action 9 Reporter.