ComplaintsforSly Fox Investigations, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Last week I paid $3,000 to the women at Sly Fox Investigators to provide surellace services for my custody case for the safety of my newborn baby over the weekend. The women agreed to provide surveillance on Saturday 5/21 throughout the evening. On Saturday afternoon they expressed that they didn't really want to work a full shift in the evening. I explained that I had needed the service that evening and would work with a different company if they could not provide the service I pre-paid them for. They agreed to work. Saturday afternoon it rained for approximately 30 minutes. The investigators said it was "too dangerous" for them to work if it rains. The rain stopped for several hours and there was no further rain in the forecast. I reached out to them again and requested they provide the service agreed upon and paid in full. They told me that because it had rained several hours ago conditions on the road were too severe to provide the service. I explained that in South Louisiana it rains frequently and I needed them to provide the service I paid them $3,000 to provide. The owner of the company raised her voice at me and told me it was too dangerous for them to work because it had rained several hours ago , that I did not decide when they would work and called me a b*tch. she told me they will never refund the money and "see you in court, b*tch" She then revealed to a stranger that she had an open case with me, which is a violation of confidentiality I would like assistance with taking care of this situation as well as safety as this woman was very threatening and disorderly, broke the law and confidentiality putting me and my daughter in danger and stole $3,000 from me refusing to provide services that were promised and agreed upon

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/06/07) */ I am ******* ******, Owner of Sly Fox Investigations, and I am happy to respond to this issue. We do not owe Ms. ******* a $3000 refund. We conducted surveillance on her case for 3 days in which payment for time spent automatically came from her retainer, and also negates her claim of money being stolen from her. When we schedule a surveillance case, we turn down other cases to block the time requested, therefore our contract states there are no refunds, in which I've already pointed out to Ms. ******** When she emailed her request for surveillance, she stated that she "had just fired a PI agency who did not do any work for her". Nevertheless, we received her $3000 retainer and took her case to help her with her child custody issue. We conducted surveillance Thursday 5/19 and Friday 5/20. On Saturday 5/21, she asked us to conduct surveillance during the time her ex-husband had her baby earlier that afternoon. We successfully conducted the surveillance Saturday at the time she requested. When our investigator advised us that the weather was becoming increasingly inclement and presented dangerous driving conditions, I checked the forecast and saw that there were severe thunderstorms in the area and they were expected to continue throughout the night until Sunday. With that information, we advised Ms. Vassaio that we could not conduct more surveillance that day due to the thunderstorms. I have proof of the severe thunderstorm warnings issued that day that I will forward in a separate email. That's when Ms. ******* started screaming and becoming irate and belligerent. Ms. ******* demanded that we go back out to the case Saturday night and threatened to hire another company if we did not do so. I advised her that we do not conduct surveillance in the rain due to safety issues- especially during thunderstorms, when the roads are hazardous and following someone safely becomes an issue. Our contract states that surveillance may be affected by safety issues- which I pointed out to her. I also reminded her that her court date was a month away, and we had plenty of time to get the evidence she was looking for. She then said that there was a break in the rain and she wanted us to go find her ex-husband at a bar and get evidence of "what he's talking about" inside the bar. What she asked for is illegal, as we cannot eavesdrop and record conversations to which we are not a party to. We did not go. She then stated she would have our license taken away by contacting the State Board of Private Investigators, the BBB and the Attorney General if we did not comply with her demands. I advised Ms. ******* that she does not have a right to command and demand that we do anything on the case. Her reply was "Yes I do." When I responded "No, you don't", she replied "Look *****...." I cut her off and said "Don't call me a *****, you're a *****" she then hung up the phone- and my response would be the same if she called me a ***** again today. Respect is a two-way street. In fact, Ms. ******* told me she recorded the conversation. Perhaps you can suggest she turn in her audio so you can hear exactly what was said. Regarding her claim of breach of confidentiality, during our phone conversation, our company received a text message that said "Hi, I am working with ****** and she shared with me some of the challenges she had working with you. Can you just get a refund please? We need that money to hire someone else. Can you reimburse yourself for time and expenses incurred and refund the rest? We don't want any trouble and ****** is just going through a hard time." My response to that text message was "Hello, thank you for reaching out. However, due to confidentiality, we are not at liberty to discuss her case with you." I will forward proof of that response as well. The bottom line is that Ms. ******* is apparently used to having her way and is upset that she was not able to bully me. She may run many things in her life, but she does not run me nor anyone else at our company- nor does she get to command us, demand us, or disrespect us. In her own words, which are documented in an email she sent us, she said her ex-husband accused her of mental instability. I can attest to that possibility. If I was as unethical and as corrupt as Ms. Vassaio is trying to make me out to be, I would not be an award-winning investigator, nor would my company have an impeccable, blemish-free record of excellence for 15 years- with no complaints to a board ever, with anyone. Clearly, we are not the problem. In fact, we value our reputation so much that our attorney is on standby to take action against Ms. ******* should she continue to file these false claims and defame our reputation. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/06/08) */ The business owners response is concerning and false. She was responsible for providing a service and refused to do so. Her claims regarding my demands are false. I can provide testimony from others to support the fact that her business practices and conduct are unsavory and she has a pattern of conducting business unethically. She broke confidentiality laws when she admitted to a third party that she had an open case with me. This is provable as well. I will not pay her for services not rendered nor services denied. She has conducted herself unethically and this is provable.

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