PEARLAND – A couple in Pearland is the latest to come forward against a celebrity interior designer, warning others after they paid over $5,000 for a customized king bed they never received.
“My wife sends me an article, and it is KPRC. I read it, and it is you reporting. We are not the first ones,” Maurese Draughon told KPRC 2′s Re’Chelle Turner.
Less than two weeks ago, four victims say they paid the same interior designer, Christal Clear Designs, thousands of dollars for unfinished work.
Draughon wanted to shed light on the situation, so this does not happen to other victims.
He and his wife looked at the reviews and recent work from Christal Clear Designs.
They kept receipts and text messages. The couple says the entire situation has been full of lies.
“You know, I’m disgusted but I don’t have a choice but to just move on,” Draughon said.
He and his wife paid $5,500 for a bed they still haven’t received.
“We moved forward because we trusted that she would be able to produce,” he said.
His wife, Taneisha, loves interior designing and came across a bed design on the company’s Instagram page.
They reached out and an assistant came to their home to take measurements and pick a color on Dec. 9. The next day, the couple paid a deposit of $2,750.
“She gave us a four-to-six-week window for delivery. I want to say, midway through that point, she asked us for the remaining balance of the bed,” he said.
Owner Octavia Christal told the Draughons that the bed would be delivered on Jan. 5 but there was a delay with the fabric.
“My thing to her was either your vendor is incompetent or you’re incompetent because how can you give me a confirmation date of delivery knowing the bed wasn’t fully wrapped with the fabric we chose,” he said.
Two weeks later, Christal Clear Designs promised the furniture would be delivered on Feb. 23, but Draughon says the excuses started piling up when they reached out.
The couple decided to cancel the order and ask for their money back.
“Twenty-four hours passed, no refund. Forty-eight hours passed, no refund. My wife reaches back out to Tavia, and she says, ‘Oh, you will get it. Matter fact, keep a look out for Ms. Blackmon to call you.’ My wife is like, ‘Who is Ms. Blackmon? I have never heard of her throughout this entire process,’” Draughon said.
Just like the other victims who paid the same interior designer for unpaid services and work, Draughon says Christal Clear Designs needs to be stopped.
“I just hope myself; my wife and the other victims are able to get justice behind this,” he said.
The Better Business Bureau reminds people to never pay in full and says it’s important to have a trusted and vetted contractor when hiring someone for a job.
Here’s a few tips they suggest using:
- Research and gather information
- Ask for references
- Ask for multiple quotes
- Get it in writing
- Verify license and insurance
- Arrange a payment schedule
- Get a receipt
- Keep your contract
For more tips from the BBB, click here.
The Draughons are planning to sue Christal Clear Designs.
KPRC 2 reached out to the owners of Christal Clear Designs and is waiting for a response.