For $15,000 That bathtub better be coated in gold, and dispense liquid chocolate. Oh wait, it doesn't, and they didn't finish the job, and now the scam plumbers are leaving harassing phone calls and trying to steal doors and parts from the work site.

Hello,

My name is Dawn Green, and I'm writing on behalf of my grandparents. My 83 year old grandfather was hospitalized for 21 days and was told he would have to go to a nursing home if his bathroom wasn't fitted for his needs( he has Parkinson's). In a panic, my grandmother contacted Premier bathrooms after seeing television ads and ads in the VFW newsletter.

They sent out a salesman who knew of their situation, and he told them if they signed up that day, he would knock off $2000.00 to make the total $15,259.00. My grandmother did this as she didn't want my grandfather to go to the nursing home. She paid $5000.00 by certified check that day, and was told another $5259.00 would be due when the tub arrived. It arrived on August 27th, 2007 and on the next day the installers came out. They ripped out the existing tub and started to do the plumbing for the new one. After they had left that evening, my grandparents thought something looked funny so they had a family friend who is a licensed plumber come take a look at it. He said this is all wrong, and he called the plumbing inspector to take a look. The inspector showed up the morning of August 29th, 2007, and asked the installers to show him their licenses, and they had none, so he shut them down. One of these installers went into the bathroom and stole a drain part to stop the new plumber from finishing the job. The inspector called and threatened them that if this part was not there the next day, he would be filing charges with the police. It arrived the next day.

In the meantime, the licensed plumber finished the plumbing portion and my grandfather came home from the hospital with a catheter, and they had to wait until September 17th, 2007 to get the installers back to thier house to finish. This installation was supposed to take 2 days, it should have been done on August 29th.

They show up on September 17th, and started finishing this, my mother had contacted the Illinois States Attorney General's Office, and the advocate tells them DO NOT pay the last $5000.00, you have been overcharged. My grandmother informs them once they are done that she will not be paying them any more money, and that this has gone to the states attorney's office. On hearing this, one of the installers gets on his cell phone and calls his boss. They talk, he hangs up and walks into the bathroom and proceeds to take off the tub door. He walks out of the bathroom with this door and my grandmother says what are you doing and grabs the door. They have a tug of war over it and my mother intervenes and tells him to leave or she is calling the police. He leaves the house and goes into their garage and my mom follows him and says I told you to leave, and he starts sweeping the garage floor. She tells him again and he finally says fine and gets in to the truck and takes off.

September 18th, 2007. Now the phone calls start. This company is calling saying they are in breach of their contract, and it needs to be settled. My grandmother informs them they should take it up with the states attorney's office and hangs up. This job was to be done in 2 days, per the contract, so they are in breach on their end as well. There have been more phone calls and my grandmother has filed phone harassment charges with the local police.

I honestly hope that something can be done to prevent other elderly or disabled people from being taken advantage of like my family has.

Says the Times article,

The typical nursing home acquired by a large investment company before 2006 scored worse than national rates in 12 of 14 indicators that regulators use to track ailments of long-term residents. Those ailments include bedsores and easily preventable infections, as well as the need to be restrained.

As the Baby Boom generation ages, nursing homes have become a sure-fire business investment, if you can cut costs and avoid bank-busting litigation. At the present, not much can be done to prevent or reign in the problem. Consumer advocacy group The National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform offers a Fact Sheet that can help you choose the best nursing home—including how to use the data provided by Medicare to evaluate nursing homes in your area.

"More Profit and Less Nursing at Many Homes" [New York Times]

RELATED
"A Consumer Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home" [The National Citizen's Coalition for Nursing Home Reform]
(Photo: Getty)

• Health Services - look for an on-staff nurse or visiting health practitioner, at the very least. Smells of urine indicate unsanitary conditions (oh, really? we didn't know).
• Complaints - eat at least one meal with the residents and find out what they think about the place. Smart Money also offers several resources you should use to further investigate.
• The Fine Print - ask a lawyer who specializes in elder care to review the retirement community's contract. Although it's rare, try to negotiate an exit clause so you don't lose a huge amount of money if it doesn't work out.
• Staff - it's sort of like schools: the better the staff-to-resident ratio, the better the care, but you'll pay more.
• Security - Look for not only locks, gates, and alarms, but what sort of technology is employed to help residents request help should they experience any health problems.

We can add that if you see a giant cocoon-shaped pod in the swimming pool, pay whatever they're asking to reserve a spot. And one thing that absolutely should not be in the retirement home of your choice is a cat that can sense when you're about to die. Not only is that creepy, but it just encourages the residents.

"5 Things to Look for in a Retirement Home" [SmartMoney]
(Photo: Getty)