rolladen Inc Company Accepted 80% Deposit, $3,838, for Shutter Installation, Did Not Install, Refuses Phone Calls, Will not return deposit. Hallandale, Florida

Company accepted $3,838, deposit for installation of storm shutters per contract May 2010.  No installation of shutters after nearly one year.  No response to phone calls, or visits.  No return of deposit.  The Florida Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation into Rolladen, a well-known hurricane shutter company based in Hallandale Beach, and its president Robert Hoffman over allegations of unfair and deceptive sales and service practices.

State regulators have received almost two dozen complaints from customers, most within the past eight months, about Rolladen taking large deposits but then stalling for months on their orders. Some consumers reported still not receiving their shutters more than six months after signing their contracts.

State law requires any contractor who takes initial payments greater than 10 percent of a job's estimated cost to apply for permits within 30 days of taking deposits, and to start work within 90 days after the permit is issued. Customer contracts show Rolladen required 80 percent of the total job price before installation.