I feel comfortable speaking out against Jhoiey Ramirez.
My wife and I hired her for a renovation project at our home in Bel Air in September of last year. Her design fee was $150,000 in total, half due up front. We didn't read her contract carefully, because she seemed upfront and capable during the initial meetings. We paid her half of the fee.
She brought in a demolition crew, who did a fine job, as planned, on both levels of our house. We moved out to a rental house.
We became concerned as the weeks passed and no reconstruction began. She became increasingly difficult to reach, taking days to respond to us.
She called us back one day, apologizing, and then turning the conversation to the second half of her fee. She insisted that she would be able to proceed upon receipt of the remaining $75,000. Reluctantly, we agreed, but we knew in our guts that something wasn't right. Still, we trusted her.
She then disappeared again. I was traveling for business two weeks later. One night, my wife went out with her girlfriends for a dinner out. As my wife returned to the rental house around 10pm, Jhoiey and her contractor Joe were waiting for her.
My wife noticed that Jhoiey was driving a brand-new Tesla. Jhoiey and Joe followed my wife to the front door, and demanded an additional $50,000 payment. Even though no work had been completed for months, Jhoiey insisted that neither she nor Joe would leave. She wouldn't specify what the fee was for.
It was 10pm. My wife was scared and shaken up. Jhoiey's contractor, Joe, insisted that they would not leave until they received a check. Terrified, my wife went inside, got a checkbook, and wrote a check to Jhoiey.
We were able to obtain a restraining order the next day against both Jhoiey Ramirez and her contractor Joe.
One of her lawyers then sent us a letter indicating that there would be severe repercussions if we shared our story.
Well, we are not going to be intimidated.
We have now lost $200,000, and she left our house in shambles - floors removed, walls taken down to wooden studs, all plumbing fixtures removed.
We are reaching out to other victims and are creating a blog so that hopefully no one else will have this experience. read more