Alumalineca

This is a review from a salesperson who worked for Steve Austin at AlumalineCa, Alumaline Direct 1024 Bayside Drive #446 Newport Beach, CA *******. I was hired and relocated from Colorado to sell patio covers and sunrooms for Steve Austin at Alumaline Direct. We had agreed upon $1000 a week advances and for Steve Austin to find housing. Upon arriving, I was given $800 and Steve paid a few nights in a hotel, Then I was told to use the $800 for a room which put me way behind in my personal bills. The pay amounted to my housing and I was quickly going broke. I was told that I would receive a breakdown on each sold job and that there would be transparency of all sales and commission breakdowns. This was a total lie. After working there for 2 months and having made a few sales, I have never received a commission or job breakdown. I was so low on money that I had no gas to go and meet clients. I worked 3 home shows and had to pay for the parking out of my advances. I also had to pay for a hotel several times and was not reimbursed as promised. I was not given a written price sheet or pitch book, nor any photos of our work until almost the time I resigned. At one of the home shows in Indio, a woman came up to me and said that she had problems with her patio cover fan, she had come to the home show to complain to our booth the past several years and had called Alumaline to fix it and Steve refused, even though he had sold her the patio cover. It was at this time that I asked our office appointment setter Vicki, if we had sold my customer in Coronado. I was told yes, and that the owner Steve had sold it. It was at that moment that I realized what was happening. Steve Austin was sending me on appointments, having me quote it high and he would go in after me, lowball the price and sell the job. I found several that he had done this too. I was forced to file 20-day notices on the homeowners, to protect my commissions. I then researched Steve Austin and Alumaline Direct and found that Steve Austin was fresh out of prison on federal criminal charges. That he was not licensed, he was renting an RMO which is illegal, he had no workers compensation insurance, which is also illegal and that he was using salesman's commissions to fund his operations. The other sales guy "Michael" had filed notices of liens as well and was owed thousands of dollars too. Had I known Steve Austin was a convicted felon and was running an illegal contracting business, I would have never hired on. He sold a lady a patio cover on a Saturday, installed the concrete on Tuesday and the patio cover on Thursday. He said he sold it for over $*******. You can buy the same thing for 40% less from many vendors. I was shocked to say the least. Do your due diligence and check out the company with the CSLB. Below is my resignation letter to Steve Austin and Alumaline Direct.

Steve,

After events unfolded tonight, I am in shock and can hardly believe what I found out. Consider this written account my resignation.

Tonight, I was speaking with Vicki on some leads for tomorrow. We discussed a few items. I asked her if she was able to reach the Coronado lead, "Lizzie" and she said that you sold it. I was shocked to say the least. She claimed I didn't have time to go, but I have been there twice, and I had been following up. I even mentioned it to you when you asked me if I was following up. I now know the truth of what you have been doing with my leads. You send me there and require me to pitch it high, then you could come back and sell it by undercutting my quote, all the while conspiring to keep it from me and steal my commissions.

Just when I think it couldn't get any worse, I just did an online background check on you and found that you went to federal prison for defrauding investors out of thousands of hard-earned dollars? Steve, had I known this, I would have never, ever worked for you. I then looked at the CSLB license and your using someone else as the RMO? You're not even properly licensed. As a convicted felon, you can't be licensed as a contractor or be bonded.

I told you upfront that I would not allow another employer to defraud me. Now I find your stealing my commissions on my jobs that I pitched in good faith? I want a full accounting on all of the jobs that I sold and all of the jobs you sold, that were assigned to me. I expect to be paid my full commission on all sales I made and my full commission on all of the sales you stole from me. I worked multiple home shows, sometimes up to 12 hours a day, even more if you add travel and overnight lodging and I have not been compensated, I expect to be compensated for ALL of those hours.

I came here with the expectations that I would be treated honestly. You told me you had paid Jeff $******* on a couple of deals and you would be transparent on all the sales, that I would be able to see my commissions on each and every deal, once completed. I have yet to see even one breakdown on any sale that I made. That you would place me in San Diego and have plenty of leads for me to run. This has been far from the truth.

Complaints and claims will be filed with the California Labor Commission for my wages, commissions and time spent traveling for you, the CSLB for fraud, (failure to disclose federal criminal convictions and telling customers your using Four Seasons and actually using inferior products), failure to obtain a building permit, failure to pay workers compensation, failure to file with the CSLB the required HIS documents, employing 3 unlicensed salesman, file a claim for my wages owed against the $******* Contractors bond (Business Alliance Insurance Company,) file the required notice of lien with the homeowners and then file the mechanics liens on ALL of my sold jobs and mechanics liens on ALL jobs you stole of mine. Rest assured; I will hand deliver all of these to each homeowner.

Disclose the whole truth on the BBB website, YELP, Google, Angies List, Home Advisor, Rip Off Report and business complaint related sites.

You lied to me; you have defrauded me. Your actions have caused immeasurable pain in my life, at a time when I had just exited a similar situation. You talked down to me constantly, treated me like I was an idiot, all the while using me and stealing commissions from me. I'm confident that you don't view this as theft, because that's how a thief thinks. I assure you; it is illegal, and it is theft. I will be reaching out to Jeff and Mike as well. It's important that they are made aware of this.

All of this is caused by YOUR actions, not mine. I moved here to work for you in good faith.

Posted March 21 2020