At least 8 people say Steel City Flooring took their money, never performed work

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — At least eight people have come forward to complain about a flooring company that took their money but never performed any work, police said.

Channel 11 News found Steel City Flooring’s Beaver and Cranberry Township stores with their windows and doors covered with paper on Thursday and signs that read, “Closed for Remodeling.”

Two victims who spoke with Channel 11 News said they’ve left messages for weeks but have received no response from the owner, Jason Muller.

Karen Hornstein and Connie Sluzynsky both ordered carpet in early January from Steel City Flooring.

"We ordered it. We paid in full, and they said two to three weeks,” Sluzynsky said.

The woman said their checks were cashed and they waited for carpet that was never delivered.

“They said they had made a mistake on ordering the carpeting - the wrong rooms, the wrong colors - that it would be a little while longer,” Hornstein said.

The women said they finally went by the store a few days ago and found the paper concealing the store.

"I'm very upset. Poor Connie's out more than I am, and I'm hearing more and more stories,” Hornstein said.

Beaver police told Channel 11 News that they’re working with the eight victims who say they're out tens of thousands of dollars. Investigators said they worry many more victims are out there and are getting the attorney general involved

“We're out $3,600. So it's a big chunk, and we work for our money. I don't know what we're going to do now,” Hornstein said.

Channel 11 learned that former employees who worked at the West Mifflin location, showed up to work last August to find the store had closed, eliminating their jobs. Employees said they has still been taking customer orders up to that point.

An attorney representing Muller told Channel 11 News that the company was forced to close because of a 30 percent drop in business and an $800,000 job that turned into a big loss.

“He got stuck by a large company on a large job, and as a result the trickledown effect was catastrophic, and he couldn't recover,” attorney Jesse White said.

White estimates about 25 customers paid for flooring that did not receive.

“I know that he feels really bad about it and he's working very hard, and no matter how angry his customers may be at him, it doesn't begin to approach the amount of anger and disappointment he has with himself in terms of how things turned out,” White said.

Target 11’s Rick Earle found that Muller has had previous financial problems when he has a home foreclosed in 2008 and bankruptcy in 2009. Muller also has two civil judgments against his company for failing to pay nearly $100,000 in bills.

White told Channel 11 that Muller is in the process of filing for bankruptcy and says his customers should be able to recover their money.

Cox Media Group