A few weeks ago, I tried to write a post about the scandal that surrounded Homework, the home design show currently streaming on the Magnolia network, in which people who were featured claimed they were scammed by the show’s star designers. I wanted to talk about how what we see on television and Instagram looks nothing like real life, which is true as much for perfect family dynamics as it is for impeccably designed homes. That post became a post about my own experience with the now defunct Home Polish, and as has happened so many times when my writing goes to that awful two year period of my life, I couldn’t finish it. I was too bitter and it dredged up too many vengeful feelings. Over the past few years, I have started and abandoned countless posts about Home Polish for that reason, but now that TV shows featuring scam artists and their victims are coming out every other day (and I find myself watching all of them), I think it’s time to finally get it out. Not so that I can unleash an online mob on Noa Santos. Nope. I’d prefer to keep all reactions strictly to my own comment section. This is just for me to get some closure and perhaps offer some words of wisdom about how it happens. Thank you all for always having my back.
I know this is probably not a very big consolation, but I always refer back to the home
Polish disaster when making a big choice. Thinking are there red flags, doing a gut check, and ALWAYS getting a second opinion. I guess I learned from your experience.
I grew up with very little. Now when I deal with companies I think “oh I must be wrong, they are a big company. They must be doing the right thing.” It’s harder to trust yourself than it should be! At the very least your tale has warned so many people to be more cautious.
Gosh…I remember that Home Polish post like it was yesterday. I have been following since the very beginning of your blog, and I was so INFURIATED on yours and Mike’s behalf…I may have left one or 20 angry replies on their posts… Thank you for the cautionary tale, and I’m happy that not only were you able to get the shoddy work fixed but that you also found some peace in this upheaval.
Thank you for writing this! I have always been curious of what happened after you stopped posting about the Home Polish disaster. But I did not want to ask about it as I know you were probably going through a lot more than you have let on. I'm very excited how your new apartment will look like. You have great style and taste. To be honest, since we've moved to a new place, all I could think of is "what would Ilana do?"
I feel like almost anyone can tell a story of being scammed, and feeling very stupid for it. Our first contractor was way out of his depth with our project, which only became apparent after we were well into the renovation and had no kitchen. When he realized he had taken on more than he could do, he gave us lies and diversions. He even managed to put a wedge between my mom and I for a while (she was sort of project managing for us, but didn't see all the days he never showed up, until he stopped showing up for her too). I'm not a person who likes conflict and generally look on the bright side, but found myself angry every day and crying every night. It was horrible, but at least at some point it mercifully ended. With a subsequent renovation we paid to replace shoddy work he did. We didn't check on his references and we should have. Overall we were too trusting at the beginning. Our second contractor was the exact opposite - honest, diligent, smart, good at planning ahead so everything happened on time. Thank goodness for people like him.
I need this story on Netflix 🙏 No scams here, just want to say as someone who works in tech startups, it’s very easy for people (men) to get investment money, even for ideas destined to fail 😭
We are decent DIYers and almost everytime we get someone do do work for us, something ends up wrong. Over billed, overcharged, we end up doing the work or paying someone else to fix it. Plumbing, architecture drawings, tiling. You would think that we are just picky but when you fail inspections...
Our business has a very large wooden bar that we installed and our painter insisted he could poly it for us. I explained that it couldn't be rolled, it needed to be brushed or else there would be bubbles. Came in to see how it looked after two coats and it was full of bubbles and felt like sandpaper. The painter insisted that it would be better after the third coat. I called BS and my husband spent 8 hours with a power sander to remove the finish and got the painter to redo it with a BRUSH! Smooth as glass.
I got scammed when I bought my first car. They got me to sign up for some protection plan that included glass and tires and stuff, for 5k rolled into my loan. The flashed me a brochure but I didn't get to keep it. I was 25. Jokes on them because DAYS after I bought the car, a stone cracked the windshield so I brought it straight back to the dealer. They tried charging me $800 for the windshield and I marched right over to the salesperson asking to see the paperwork on my protection plan. I didn't leave until I saw it. I never saw it. They just waived the service bill. I might've overpaid 5k on my car, but at least I got a new windshield out of the deal.
We hired someone to replace the pipe that connects our house to the city sewer. The guy came, dug a giant trench through our front yard to replace the pipe and then apparently just filled it back in. We learned this when the allegedly root-proof pvc pipe backed up less than the year later and rotorooter told us it was still the 70+ year old clay pipe from when the house was built and full of roots. We took them to small claims court, but never got our money back.
Ever since then I save the contract for every job we do on our house and am constantly checking on what's being done.
I just finished watching "Inventing Anna" last night. I agree with your writing. My thought throughout was how does "I'll wire you the money..." let someone get away with so much? I guess that is how the super-rich operate. Down here in economy class we're just venmo-ing each other $20 to pay for a lunch date. But still! And I totally did not understand the lawyer and journalists abandoning their own families to cater to someone that treated them so badly and was obviously a scammer. I guess Anna scammed them too, and they fell for it because just like the bankers she could give them something for their careers. I don't know anything about Rachel beyond this series, but I did feel bad for her.
As for Home Polish - I felt so bad and angry for you during that mess. Being lied to is the worst feeling in the world. But beyond the deception and loss of money, I can't imagine every room of your home (your safe haven from the crap of the outside world) being destroyed. I imagine there was no break from thinking of it as it was in every wrong cabinet and shower you tried to use daily. And you went from a beautiful home to a mess. I think letting it go and moving on was the best way to end. I hope you are enjoying your new home and all those renovations pay off in leasing out the old space!
We felt scammed by a Public Adjuster that we foolishly contacted after a tree landed on part of our house. We went to social media looking for local contractors to rebuild our screened porch. Insurance company told us just to document all damage. So instead of just dealing directly with the insurance company we got involved with this PA who promised us the world. Talked to us about rehabbing things that weren’t even Damaged in the storm. Told us about how much extra money they get out of insurance companies. Sold us a huge bill of goods and pressuring us to sign away 30% of money recouped from insurance. Well almost 4 years later we are still fighting with them about not turning over the proceeds from the last check. We’d rather lose the money then pay them any more. Had to pay out of pocket for a job that would’ve been nearly 100% covered if we just would’ve dealt directly with the insurance company. We still feel sick to this day about it. Sorry you went through your experience.
We were scammed out of a large sum by someone who told us they could get us a car that was being sold at auction out of state but he would need cash for the transaction. We reported him to the local and he was arrested ...he was a convicted felon and he went back to jail. We got back 1/3 of our money. Our lawyer told us we both had brain farts at the same time!
Finally got to read this, Ilana. I feel your pain and so happy that you finally wrote this.
I, too, was scammed. But not just by the perpetrator, but by a law firm (former friend) who told me I had a very strong case. Well, months and months later and tens of thousands more spent than what I’d ever recoup, I walked away. It still hurts to this day that I put my trust in people whose own egos got in the way of what was fair or just. They never said this went too far and we’re wasting your money. Thanks for validating that even smart people can be victims for trusting those they shouldn’t.
I have never heard of Home Polish. I have never owned a home so I haven’t needed contractors or anything. Almost 40 and still renting! Honestly, the thought of owning and paying people to fix things and putting trust and money into it scares me. Im good with having my landlord do it all!
I have never been scammed, but that’s because I’m so scared of it, that I don’t take chances. I play it very safe and I have a husband who researches everything TO DEATH before making a decision (from vacations to electronics to home redecorating). I will say we’ve had not-as-great work because we went with a cheaper option, but that isn’t a scam. Thankfully, the frustrations I had when we remodeled our bathrooms were because we thought our contractor would provide guidance for design and we didn’t get that. But when things went wrong, like the wrong color base on our shower insert, he was very responsive and was our mediary.
It has nothing to do with scams, but since remodeling is on my mind - I have made it my life’s mission to get rid of ALL grout in my house. It’s gone in the bathrooms. Now I need to redo my kitchen countertops, but that makes me want to redo the entire kitchen, which could involve removing the only load bearing wall in our downstairs….
I know this is probably not a very big consolation, but I always refer back to the home
Polish disaster when making a big choice. Thinking are there red flags, doing a gut check, and ALWAYS getting a second opinion. I guess I learned from your experience.
I grew up with very little. Now when I deal with companies I think “oh I must be wrong, they are a big company. They must be doing the right thing.” It’s harder to trust yourself than it should be! At the very least your tale has warned so many people to be more cautious.
Gosh…I remember that Home Polish post like it was yesterday. I have been following since the very beginning of your blog, and I was so INFURIATED on yours and Mike’s behalf…I may have left one or 20 angry replies on their posts… Thank you for the cautionary tale, and I’m happy that not only were you able to get the shoddy work fixed but that you also found some peace in this upheaval.
Thank you for writing this! I have always been curious of what happened after you stopped posting about the Home Polish disaster. But I did not want to ask about it as I know you were probably going through a lot more than you have let on. I'm very excited how your new apartment will look like. You have great style and taste. To be honest, since we've moved to a new place, all I could think of is "what would Ilana do?"
I feel like almost anyone can tell a story of being scammed, and feeling very stupid for it. Our first contractor was way out of his depth with our project, which only became apparent after we were well into the renovation and had no kitchen. When he realized he had taken on more than he could do, he gave us lies and diversions. He even managed to put a wedge between my mom and I for a while (she was sort of project managing for us, but didn't see all the days he never showed up, until he stopped showing up for her too). I'm not a person who likes conflict and generally look on the bright side, but found myself angry every day and crying every night. It was horrible, but at least at some point it mercifully ended. With a subsequent renovation we paid to replace shoddy work he did. We didn't check on his references and we should have. Overall we were too trusting at the beginning. Our second contractor was the exact opposite - honest, diligent, smart, good at planning ahead so everything happened on time. Thank goodness for people like him.
I need this story on Netflix 🙏 No scams here, just want to say as someone who works in tech startups, it’s very easy for people (men) to get investment money, even for ideas destined to fail 😭
We are decent DIYers and almost everytime we get someone do do work for us, something ends up wrong. Over billed, overcharged, we end up doing the work or paying someone else to fix it. Plumbing, architecture drawings, tiling. You would think that we are just picky but when you fail inspections...
Our business has a very large wooden bar that we installed and our painter insisted he could poly it for us. I explained that it couldn't be rolled, it needed to be brushed or else there would be bubbles. Came in to see how it looked after two coats and it was full of bubbles and felt like sandpaper. The painter insisted that it would be better after the third coat. I called BS and my husband spent 8 hours with a power sander to remove the finish and got the painter to redo it with a BRUSH! Smooth as glass.
I got scammed when I bought my first car. They got me to sign up for some protection plan that included glass and tires and stuff, for 5k rolled into my loan. The flashed me a brochure but I didn't get to keep it. I was 25. Jokes on them because DAYS after I bought the car, a stone cracked the windshield so I brought it straight back to the dealer. They tried charging me $800 for the windshield and I marched right over to the salesperson asking to see the paperwork on my protection plan. I didn't leave until I saw it. I never saw it. They just waived the service bill. I might've overpaid 5k on my car, but at least I got a new windshield out of the deal.
We hired someone to replace the pipe that connects our house to the city sewer. The guy came, dug a giant trench through our front yard to replace the pipe and then apparently just filled it back in. We learned this when the allegedly root-proof pvc pipe backed up less than the year later and rotorooter told us it was still the 70+ year old clay pipe from when the house was built and full of roots. We took them to small claims court, but never got our money back.
Ever since then I save the contract for every job we do on our house and am constantly checking on what's being done.
I just finished watching "Inventing Anna" last night. I agree with your writing. My thought throughout was how does "I'll wire you the money..." let someone get away with so much? I guess that is how the super-rich operate. Down here in economy class we're just venmo-ing each other $20 to pay for a lunch date. But still! And I totally did not understand the lawyer and journalists abandoning their own families to cater to someone that treated them so badly and was obviously a scammer. I guess Anna scammed them too, and they fell for it because just like the bankers she could give them something for their careers. I don't know anything about Rachel beyond this series, but I did feel bad for her.
As for Home Polish - I felt so bad and angry for you during that mess. Being lied to is the worst feeling in the world. But beyond the deception and loss of money, I can't imagine every room of your home (your safe haven from the crap of the outside world) being destroyed. I imagine there was no break from thinking of it as it was in every wrong cabinet and shower you tried to use daily. And you went from a beautiful home to a mess. I think letting it go and moving on was the best way to end. I hope you are enjoying your new home and all those renovations pay off in leasing out the old space!
We felt scammed by a Public Adjuster that we foolishly contacted after a tree landed on part of our house. We went to social media looking for local contractors to rebuild our screened porch. Insurance company told us just to document all damage. So instead of just dealing directly with the insurance company we got involved with this PA who promised us the world. Talked to us about rehabbing things that weren’t even Damaged in the storm. Told us about how much extra money they get out of insurance companies. Sold us a huge bill of goods and pressuring us to sign away 30% of money recouped from insurance. Well almost 4 years later we are still fighting with them about not turning over the proceeds from the last check. We’d rather lose the money then pay them any more. Had to pay out of pocket for a job that would’ve been nearly 100% covered if we just would’ve dealt directly with the insurance company. We still feel sick to this day about it. Sorry you went through your experience.
Thank you for sharing the details, Ilana. I did always wonder how the designer and specific workers played into the debacle.
We were scammed out of a large sum by someone who told us they could get us a car that was being sold at auction out of state but he would need cash for the transaction. We reported him to the local and he was arrested ...he was a convicted felon and he went back to jail. We got back 1/3 of our money. Our lawyer told us we both had brain farts at the same time!
Finally got to read this, Ilana. I feel your pain and so happy that you finally wrote this.
I, too, was scammed. But not just by the perpetrator, but by a law firm (former friend) who told me I had a very strong case. Well, months and months later and tens of thousands more spent than what I’d ever recoup, I walked away. It still hurts to this day that I put my trust in people whose own egos got in the way of what was fair or just. They never said this went too far and we’re wasting your money. Thanks for validating that even smart people can be victims for trusting those they shouldn’t.
I have never heard of Home Polish. I have never owned a home so I haven’t needed contractors or anything. Almost 40 and still renting! Honestly, the thought of owning and paying people to fix things and putting trust and money into it scares me. Im good with having my landlord do it all!
I have never been scammed, but that’s because I’m so scared of it, that I don’t take chances. I play it very safe and I have a husband who researches everything TO DEATH before making a decision (from vacations to electronics to home redecorating). I will say we’ve had not-as-great work because we went with a cheaper option, but that isn’t a scam. Thankfully, the frustrations I had when we remodeled our bathrooms were because we thought our contractor would provide guidance for design and we didn’t get that. But when things went wrong, like the wrong color base on our shower insert, he was very responsive and was our mediary.
It has nothing to do with scams, but since remodeling is on my mind - I have made it my life’s mission to get rid of ALL grout in my house. It’s gone in the bathrooms. Now I need to redo my kitchen countertops, but that makes me want to redo the entire kitchen, which could involve removing the only load bearing wall in our downstairs….