Earlier this month, the Ask Anthony team spoke with an elderly Jacksonville couple who hired a company in September to remove mold in their home.
Jose and Joan Flores received a letter in December that their insurance was not willing to pay the costs of their invoices, which totaled $28,570. The company, Water and Mold Insurance Rebuild, claims they put a lien on the couple's home.
After their story aired, Anthony Austin received several emails and phone calls from viewers who feel they were misled by the business. The company's attorney, Michael Friedman, said customers signed contracts and this is not a case of trickery.
"After seeing your story, I thought it might be the same company that ripped me off, Barbara Hill said.
Hill was one of the first people to email the Ask Anthony team after seeing the Flores' story. The Mandarin widow hired WMIR to take care of a mold problem in her bathroom.
"He gave me a quote of about $1,500," Hill added.
She saw the same advertisement, that the Flores' did, in a magazine. It said at the top "You paid your insurance. Let it cover the loss. We bill the insurance company directly."
Hill said she called her insurance company first and they denied the claim. So, she decided to pay out of pocket. Hill told the representative she couldn't pay more than $2,000.
She said the man told her that wouldn't be a problem.
"The bill was $12,344. I almost passed out. I was very upset that the man had lied to me," Hill explained.
Hill is on a fixed income and can't pay that amount. She said she told a WMIR representative that on the phone.
"She told me well we got your signature on the contract and we're going to a put a lien on your house and sue you," Hill said.
In May, Joann Pearson hired WMIR to fix a leak and take care of a mold problem in her bathroom. She said she was told to sign a contract, that she admits was hard to read.
"I said I got glaucoma. I can't read it. He said you don't have to. We're going to take care of everything anyways. But, we do need it signed," Pearson responded.
Her insurance covered some of the costs, but not all of the more than $30,000 bill.
Pearson said she started receiving unpleasant phone calls from WMIR, that she had to come up with the money, or they were going to put a lien on her home.
"I think a lot of times we see these ads and some of them are gimmicky," Joe Carlucci said.
Joe Carlucci with Brightway Insurance, who is also a Jacksonville City Councilman, said you should always call your provider before entering into a business agreement with a company. Don't sign anything, no matter what the salesman says, without talking to your agent.
"You should not sign anything on the spot without understanding what it is and how it can affect your insurance premiums and your insurance policy," Carlucci explained.
Hill and Pearson said they took the company's word, but now they're just left with a moldy mess.
"They never found the leak. They just came in and started gutting it," Pearson said.
WMIR has not responded to any of my requests for comment. However, their attorney has returned our calls. He said he feels the issue is with the insurance companies, not WMIR.