'I'm just sick:' Complaints continue after Sash and Sill goes out of business
SARASOTA, Fla. - When Dick and Beth Barrett purchased their Lakewood Ranch home 12 years ago, they started saving for new windows, sliders and a front door.
"We kept setting money aside, knowing this would come," said Beth Barrett.
When it came time, Beth had to do it alone.
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"This was the first major decision, if you will, that I have made since my husband passed away and I was so nervous and afraid," she told FOX 13.
After receiving glowing recommendations from neighbors and friends, she decided to go with Sarasota-based Sash and Sill.
"I did a deep dive into their references and I found nothing wrong," she said.
She signed the contract for the front door on March 26 and put half down by check: $5,803.
A month later, she signed another contract for windows and sliders and put down just over $26,000, this time on a credit card.
She said a sales representative told her the product should arrive in 12 to 14 weeks.
When it came close, she said she never heard from Sash and Sill.
"I started calling the office, calling the office. No answer. I’d leave a VM, send them messages. Nothing. Just nothing," she said.
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On July 10, a neighbor showed her an email from Sash and Sill owner Todd Hoch, saying:
"It is with a heavy heart that I announce that Sash & Sill has closed its doors permanently. This difficult decision comes because of unforeseen circumstances that has significantly impacted our financial stability, forcing us to file for bankruptcy. I have exhausted my personal and business resources in efforts to overcome the situation. We are currently working on getting as many of your projects completed as possible. We will reach out with any updates that are specific to your project. The office has been closed to reduce overhead and all non-production staff are no longer with us. I want to express my deepest apologies. I am truly heartbroken over the situation. Sincerely, Todd Hoch"
Beth never received the email.
"I still haven’t gotten that email and you’d think I would. Considering he has 32,000 of my money. I have found out I called the supplier and he never ordered any of my products. None of them," she said.
Several civil suits have been filed against Hoch dating back to 2023.
In Monroe County, New York court documents show Hoch was ordered to pay more than $150,000 plus interest in a legal dispute with another business.
In a complaint filed in Sarasota County, a business partner claimed Hoch said the company had constant cash flow problems, despite gross revenues in excess of $4 million dollar a year.
The partner said he believed Hoch was diverting company funds for his personal benefit.
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Hoch told FOX 13 by text on Monday:
"Sash and Sill is issuing refunds that they can at this point. We are also completing some projects. I have contributed all of my savings as well as borrowed from family and friends. I’m heartbroken over this."
On the social media platform "X", Hoch said the most important thing is communication.
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"At Sash and Sill we try to give the best customer experience that we can. I find the biggest portion of that is communication. What is the timeline of getting the products," he said on a post from 2022.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office said they’ve received 9 complaints against Sash and Sill.
These complaints are under active review by the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
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New complaints have been filed with the Charlotte and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Offices.
Beth joins a growing list of clients who feel life in the dark.
"I don’t even know what to do. I don’t know what to do. I am just sick. I am sick," she said.
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