Company *posing* as Red Carpet Remodeling Calls and says they want to come to your home to offer free estimates; actual, legitimate company does not do this Internet

 

On Oct. 13, 2010, around 7:15 p.m., I got a phone call that displayed as Unknown Name/Unknown Number on my caller ID. When I answered the phone, I was immediately aware it was a call center. The caller asked for me by my last name, said he was with Red Carpet Remodeling, and said he wanted me to set up an appointment with them to come to my house and evaluate whether I needed doors, windows, etc. replaced. He sounded intelligent enough, and also sounded like an Indian trying to force an American accent.

 

I was skeptical instantly, since I had never requested any kind of callback on home improvement services, and all my numbers are in the Do Not Call registry. With the caller still on the phone, I typed Red Carpet Remodeling into Google. Google auto-filled the search field with "Red Carpet Remodeling scam."

 

I became livid at that point. Few things annoy me more than fraudsters trying to take advantage of people in this economy. So, I told him what I saw on Google, followed by, "f*** you, and goodbye." As a Christian, I probably shouldn't have said that, but people have taken advantage of my kindness before with door-to-door magazine subscriptions and the like. What happened next has never happened before with a telemarketer. He called back! Knowing many people who have worked in call centers, I know this is not something you're ever supposed to do. And this is the message he left on the machine, speaking in a sinister tone:

 

"You're going to be sued. I have your name and number, and you're going to be sued. So, have a great day, and prepare to be sued."

 

This jackass had gone too far. I called the police, and an officer came over and listened to the message. While he told me it wasn't threatening in the eyes of the law, it was definitely suspicious. I told him I'd seen in my Google search there was a company based in nearby Burke that was actually called Red Carpet Remodeling. The officer suggested I give them a call to see if they have a call center, and if so, I should fill them in on what happened.

 

I called Red Carpet Remodeling the next day, and its director of operations answered the phone. He was dumbfounded. He told me Red Carpet does not cold call people, and after checking his system, found my name was not in Red Carpet's system, so they would have no way of knowing about me or how to contact me. Furthermore, Red Carpet has no call center; there are four people in that office. I let him know there was an open case on file with my local police department, and he said they could get in contact with him should they need to do so. I am confident the call did not come from this organization; they have an impressive list of clients and their work has been featured on Extreme Home Makeover. As an aside, he mentioned to me the license plates off one of his work vans had been stolen while the van was parked in the parking lot outside the Burke office. One could take many giant leaps of faith with that information.

 

I haven't been ripped off, per se, but I want to make people aware there is at least one person, maybe more, calling people at least in Northern Virginia with the end goal of getting inside people's houses. My *guess* is they would be taking an assessment of your possessions, then come back later to steal them. Or, they could ask for a down payment and then never deliver any doors or windows to your house.

 

Back when I was a journalist, and I wrote a story people didn't like (the truth can be hard to face), people would scream at me over the phone, "I'm gonna sue your a$$!" Of course, it never happened. Barking that threat is a sign of very weak character, and at the very least, patent misunderstanding of law. Rest assured the person who contacted me is dishonest.

 

If someone calls you, identifies him/herself in the same way and wants to come to your house, say you're not interested, ask not to be called again, and hang up the phone.