Promise Land Group LLC Craig Blake AMU: America's Most Unwanted Kennesaw Georgia

My name is Chastity.  In November 2013, contractors from the NACA recommended list were asked to submit a bid for my renovations.  Craig Blake from The Promise Land Realty Group was the only person to actually respond in (what I considered to be) a timely fashion.  Well, to my disappointment, I now know why.

I closed January 17th; his "company" begin working a few weeks later, starting with mold remediation.  The garage had the HEPA vacs and we could not enter for a few days, and that was fine.  However, I checked the hall closet and noticed there was no mold.  I'm no contractor, but I thought it was common sense to know that if one side of a wall had mold, then the other does as well.  I called him and said, "So what?  It was only surface mold?"  He replied, "I guess so."  That indicated that he wasn't there doing the work. 

A few days later, my mother and I were cleaning in the house.  We checked the other side of the closet, only to find there was more mold.  I texted him a video.  The next day he called me and said that "his mold guy went back out and removed it".  I stopped by to check it out.  The carpet was removed and he said that was the source of the mold - even though there was no water/moisture source.  The water wasn't even on in the house at the time. 

He hired some guy named "Brown" to replace the drywall.  I asked him if he had seen the deadbolt and key that I had on the door.  He responded, "Oh you wanted that?" "YES!"  He said he would bring it back.  He then asked me what was going on with the back door that had rotted out, as well as the piece of siding on the back of the house.  He said that Craig didn't tell him to do it. I called Craig, "What's going on with the door?"  He then said, "He went back into the bid and saw that it's not there."  I told him, "But you said it would be."  I shook it off.  I then texted him to let him know to get my lock and key back from Brown.  No response.

On February 13th, I told my daughter not to open her Monster High box she received from Christmas because that would help me know whether a contractor stole from our home.  The following day, Craig and I went to pick out my appliances.  He tried to get me to stay within a $1700 budget when he knew I was allotted $2525.  Needless to say, I chose the most expensive range I could find.  He was expecting to keep some of that money.  It was like what he did with my light fixtures: the budget for them was $400; he bought four fixtures that were under $15.

On my daughter's birthday, February 17th, I took her gifts over and placed them in her room - all of which were in unopened packages (straight from the store).  I went back that Saturday only to find that my daughter's Monster High box was gone.  The box had been there since the day after I closed. 

My daughter asked about her birthday stuff, so I went back.  It was all gone.  I tried to call him and he would not answer, so I texted him.  He did not respond.  I called back; no response.  So I decided to blow his phone up until he answered.  He told me that none of his guys would steal.  I then said, "You don't even know.  You're not even there.  I stop by the house everyday and you're never there.  I call you about things and you have know clue of what I am talking about.  So how can you tell me what they wouldn't do.  I expect you to say they didn't do it.  If they took the deadbolt, then they will take something else."  He said that his guy said, "Why would I steal from a little girl?" 

I told him, "So I guess that means I'm just going to have to be in everyone's a** now?"  I told him I wanted my deadbolt and key, and that Brown was no longer allowed in my home.  He questioned how I knew Brown had my deadbolt at least four times before asking the man.  He called me back and said that he asked Brown if he had the deadbolt, and he said yes. 

Craig proceeded to tell me that he told him, "Well she wants it back.  I know it's only $5, but she wants it back."  I said, "Oh so you're trying to make it like it is something cheap and so miniscule, but you don't see that he took my babies stuff."  He advised me to file a police report, and make sure you have evidence if you are accusing.  I told him, "It's evident that my daughter's stuff is missing.  Go to the judge and say your guy took my deadbolt and key; I bet your guy will be accused of stealing everything else that is missing."  To nip it in the bud, I told him they couldn't get into my home without contacting my mom for entry.  He then agreed to take some money off the floors he did in my hallway.

Of course after this, he truly begin to avoid calls, emails, and texts.  He was supposed to install my appliances and do a final walkthrough with me on the 17th.  He assured me that he wouldn't send the papers in.  He didn't do the walkthrough and he submitted the documents.  He waited until NACA was about to send out the inspector.  I sent every picture and video I could to show what he hadn't done.  The inspector pointed out where he didn't put downspouts on the gutters; he didn't secure my deck; the laminate had all sorts of gaps in it; he tried to ignore the closet with mold in it until I called it to the inspector's attention. 

The inspector went to his truck to get his kit; he pulled back the carpet; there was still mold present.  Inspector said that he couldn't pass the house until he rectified the things.  Craig then asked if he could put another lock box code on the door so he and his guys could get in.  He claimed that waiting on my mom puts them further behind.  Then he said, "What if only you, the inspector, and I will have the code?"  I thought that sounded good, so I agreed to it. 

After the inspector left, Craig said, "OK Chastity.  He (the guy he sub-contracted) is going to come by tomorrow morning."  I said, "So you're not going to be here?"  He said, "I told you that me, him, you, and the inspector will have the code."  I said, "No.  Now that he is gone, you are adding another person.  It is not going to happen.  You can wait until my class is over and I will let you all in.  You are supposed to be here!!!"  He grew annoyed but I didn't care.

The next day, He text me to remind me to put the key in the lockbox.  I called him, "So you are not going to be there?"  He then said, "Chastity, I told you he would have the code."  I was livid when I said, "No.  I had to pull your card.  I told you no because you tried to add him in after the inspector left."  He then said, "I know what I said.  I know what I meant."  "You can't say something and mean something else; you just say what you mean.  I pulled your card."  He then said, "The devil is a lie."  I said, "So you're calling me the devil?  You're calling me a lie?  How about you submitting documents that you know you were not supposed to send until after our walkthrough?  How about your people stealing from my child?"  He then hung up in my face. 

He tried calling me back.  I didn't answer.  He tried calling my mom.  She didn't answer.  I called him back when I calmed down.  He apologized.  I stopped him.  "I tried to spare you from embarrassment last night.  I told you about the mold.  I told you about the deck and the flooring.  You ignored my text.  Before you did the work, I told you about what I knew; I told you what I researched; I told you what my dad said, and you did none of it.  You should have done the walkthrough and we would not have had this issue.  You act as if I don't have a reason to be defensive.  Your people stole from me, so why would I just let y'all have my key?  I'm done negotiating; I'm not budging.  I'm not leaving my key.  I will meet you after my class is over.  If you are there I will place my key in your hand, and you will be responsible if anything happens."  When I pulled up, he was not there.

After the inspector completed everything, I hired another contractor to do the things that he did not do because "they were not in the bid".  My new contractor found more mold in the area that he should have done the remediation and air testing.  The inspector came back and took samples; he pulled the baseboards back this time, only to find there was more memnoniella (black mold).

I requested the mold test from Craig.  He didn't send it to me.  Like an idiot, he said he was only supposed to do the closet and the garage.  I sent him artifacts proving that he didn't not do what was in the bid.  I said, "You can't remove a piece of cancer and expect a person to not have cancer any longer."  I then told him, "To be a GREAT, one goes beyond what is on the paper, especially if it is something they can control.  Surely you are not mediocre."  I told him his name is Mediocrity.  He didn't care that the mold could kill my children and me.  So I questioned his legitimacy.

I requested the mold test from NACA.  According to the data, which was none, he only "swabbed" two samples from the garage.  He didn't even test the closet as I hypothesized.  There was not sample date on the data, and no job number.  I then checked the other docs he forwarded to NACA only to find he submitted a certificate that expired in 2010 from the IAQA.  I called the IAQA, and they said a company with a similar name hadn't been certified since 2012. 

I Googled the number to the company he allegedly used; it was actually to Home Advisor, which provides contacts to contractors and consumers seeking services.  They connected me to the company.  I gave the owner my address and asked if he ever did any work at my home.  He said no.  I asked him if he did work for NACA, and he said they contacted him about 4 months ago, and he said he couldn't do the work.

I asked him about Craig Blake.  He said that he told Craig he couldn't do the work.  Craig begged him not to report him to NACA.  The owner then said he knew not to do work with him.

CRAIG BLAKE is a fraud, a finagler, foolish businessman.  He is truly ignorant to the field of construction.  However, he is quite familiar with criminal activity.  He is boorish and greedy.  Stay away from Craig Blake and The Promise Land Realty Group LLC in Kennesaw, GA.