TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today took court action against Home Performance Alliance, Inc. for deceptive and unfair business practices in the sale of windows to consumers. The consent judgment and complaint, filed in Hillsborough County and subject to court approval, requires HPA to pay $90,000 in civil penalties, $75,000 of which are classified as senior penalties for actions that are alleged to have victimized or attempted to victimize senior citizens. The agreement also acknowledges that HPA voluntarily provided more than $700,000 to consumers in the form of refunds, payment forgiveness and lien releases.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “My office is committed to holding irresponsible contractors accountable when they take advantage of Floridians, particularly our seniors, by utilizing high-pressure or misleading sales practices. I urge all Floridians to guard against this type of scam by reviewing all written materials carefully before signing anything or contracting with any business.”
The agreement stems from an investigation into the sales practices of HPA, a window installation company, based on complaints received from consumers. Many of the complaints alleged that HPA salespeople would not leave the house until the consumer signed an “estimate,” which turned out to be an actual contract to purchase windows. Other consumers claimed that when attempting to cancel a contract, they could not reach any HPA representative or that HPA threatened to place a lien on the consumers’ homes if they did not go through with the transactions. Still, other consumers alleged that HPA salespeople confirmed the windows purchased were impact-resistant windows, but the windows delivered turned out to be of lesser quality.
After initiating the investigation, HPA cooperated with the Attorney General’s Office to address issues alleged by consumers and took actions, such as providing refunds and hiring a new management team to implement and maintain additional protections for consumers and seniors.
As part of the negotiated agreement, HPA, among other things, will adjust its written contracts, establish a dedicated hotline with trained personnel to address issues raised by consumers, implement enhanced policies and procedures designed to protect consumers and continue to work with the Attorney General’s Office as needed
