Carpet Care Ripoff! Beware of carpet cleaning services. Long Beach California

I called Carpet Care. You can find their big ad in the yellowpages, they don't have a listing address just a phone number 1 800 817 8566, and say that they services Long Beach and surrounding areas. I was planing on carpet cleaning my place all but one room which I was going to have someone else to replace the carpet in that room due to a hole in the carpet.

The carpet cleaner Mike, asked why I want to pay good money to replace the carpet when he can repair it. (cut a piece out of the closet to fix the hole and then replace the closet carpet). He made a deal and said that he will clean the entire place and fix the carpet for $250, and that he will replace the carpet in the closet for $50. He said he has to go to LA to get the carpet and come back say around 6-7pm or the following morning whichever is best.

I was very afraid that he will not come back so at the end of the carpet cleaning I told him that he doesn't have to go through the trouble of bring the carpet back, I wanted to pay him the $250 which he wrote a receipt for and save myself $50 for the risk of him not coming back. I wanted to pay him the $50 when he came back, but he was upset and said at least I should pay him $25 for the gas to go to LA and come back. He insisted that he will go get the capet and come back, a handshake should be a binding contract and that I should trust him. So I gave him the $50. He did not provide a receipt for the $50.

At 8pm he called and said that he had an opportunity to work at another job tonight and make some more money, and asked if it would be ok to come back in the morning between 8am-12pm. I agreed that was reasonable. At 11am the next morning, there was no sign of him so I called the 800 number his boss answered and I told him what had happened. His boss acknowledged that Mike had done that sort of thing before (work under the table) and that he would have Mike call me. 15 minutes later I called again and the boss says he will be there before 12:30pm. I waited and then I called again and said that "Mike needs to be here and either bring the $50 or the carpet" and the boss said "listen lady, you can't keep calling here", we called again and he hung up on us. And Mike never came.

Alky
Long Beach, California
U.S.A.