"Advantage Air Conditioning of Indian River" took money from customers, but didn’t do the work.
After our reports, at least 10 customers complained to the state about the company and Steven Bohn.
With so many complaints against Bohn, the state felt the contractor was a danger to the public and suspended his license. It came four months after customers first told WPTV they wanted his license revoked.
Bohn signed a stipulation agreement with the state that this would be permanent. The stipulation goes on to say that if Bohn tries to be a Florida contractor again, he’ll have to pay $170,000 in fines.
Ripped off customers should file a claim with the Florida Construction Recovery Fund.
When troubles surfaced with "Advantage Air Conditioning of Indian River," consumers were confused because there’s another company on the Treasure Coast with a similar name.
Advantage Air of the Treasure Coast is NOT associated with Bohn.
However, consumer confusion has cost "Advantage Air of the Treasure Coast" even though they haven’t done anything wrong.
It happened to a screen contractor recently too.
"Florida Screen Builders" recently lost its license in Palm Beach County after Consumer Watchdog reports.
A similar sounding company, "Screen Builders," has been in business 29 years and is NOT associated with the company that got in trouble. However, consumers confuse the two because the names are so similar.
The Better Business Bureau sees this often in South Florida.
“It gives them an easy and quick way to get to the top of the search results. They’ll put something in there that sounds like the one that has a good track record,” explained Rod Davis, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau.
That’s why consumers need to research the company they are doing business with to make sure they have the right one. Research how long the company has been in business, the key players for the company and look for reviews on Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, or ConsumerAffairs.com.
This confusion can happen to any company.
The more generic the name, the more likely someone else in the state or country will have your name.
For example, we are WPTV. We often say “NewsChannel 5.”
If you type "NewsChannel 5" into the web, you’re going to get a Memphis television station.
There are eight stations in the country that go by "NewsChannel 5."
So, you really need to make sure you're dealing with the right company.