Living Color Furniture

[minks]

Does anyone know if Living Color Furniture in (I believe) Buford, GA is still open?

[minks]

Living Color Furniture is still in business, but has downsized.

[Cristi]

Yes, Living Color Furniture is still open. I just spoke to Don yesterday and ordered furniture for my new home in Kure Beach. He said that his website is down right now. If you leave a message for him at the store he will return your call as soon as he can.

[minks]

Thank you! I actually talked to him yesterday as well and ordered my bed!!

[minks]

I would like your opinion. I have not ordered furniture from him before and being from NJ, I have not seen any but online. If you are familiar with his furniture, do you prefer the distressed look or the solid?
Thank you!!!!!!!

[jtosi]

Oh no! Not you too!!! This guy used to make great furniture, but now is just full of stories. He will take your money and not deliver. I know, its been an ongoing saga for me since May. Cancel your charge now and find another source, or you will be dealing with what I'm going through now.
Good luck.

[Coastal Living Answers]

We've received numerous complaints about this furniture vendor. We do not recommend doing business with Living Color Furniture or Donald Kell.

[Coastal Living Answers]

http://klrdesigns.net/

We're providing this additional resource as a courtesy and are not responsible for any services rendered.

[jtosi]

The website of KLR looks great (as did Living Color's when it was up), but the number has been disconnected. When you check into KLR with the Better Business Bureau (as I should have done before ordering with Living Color), lo and behold--they have a negative rating as well, and guess who is VP of operations? None other than Donald Kell (the "K" of KLR designs)! Coastal living, what are you thinking by recommending this company? Please do not give this man any more opportunity to swindle more people than he already has.

[swrob]

KLR's address is literally across the street from Living Color Furniture in Buford Georgia, so that should also tell you something. Kell is a fraud, who swindled me out of almost $2000. Unfortunately, I would have never even heard of him but for seeing those bunkbeds in Coastal Living. I am trying to get some satisfaction through the Georgia Attorney General's office or county prosecutor. If anyone else has similar stories, please contact them as well. If enough of us bring his actions to light, the authorities will (hopefully) go after him.

[jtosi]

I have contacted both the Better Business Bureau, as well as the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and filed reports. If you speak with the Gwinnett county chamber of commerce and the business licence office, they will tell you that this business Living Color Furniture closed January 26 of 2006. Wish I had known that prior to placing an order with Don Kell in March of 2006!

I hate that this business/this man was able to deceive so many people, and will do what I can to ensure that no more good people lose their hard earned money to this guy!

True, that there is strength in numbers so anyone who would like to contact me on this issue, please feel free to do so. I will be happy to spearhead some sort of class action against this man and maybe, just maybe we will be able to recoup some of the money that he has taken from us and many others. He's got thousands of dollars of our money, and I have serious issue with that. Its just not right.

jtosi@tciway.tc

[dkell]

I am Don Kell here to respond to any and all it may concern.

I would first like to take a opportunity to let anyone know that I am not a fraud. I am here building furniture and attempting to complete and ship any and all exiting orders only despite an overwhelming number of obstacles. Instead of closing the doors or filing bankruptcy, I am trying my best to do what is right.
In the beginning of this year I lost my investor who was an attorney that pulled out and retired without ample notice. Since that time I have attempted to continue to operate with out any working capital to complete outstanding orders to the best of my ability. Up until the beginning of June we were making good progress. At that time I had an employee severely hurt on the ***, My only employee after downsizing from staff of 16. This injury came at a time that I had no workers comp insurance. ( not required in Ga with three or less employees ). Paying his medical bills emptied our checking account to a negative balance.
Since then our phone lines have been disconnected due to non payment, including my home and cell numbers. I have had my personal utilities disconnected a number of times and most recently been evicted from my home. This has been a very difficult being that I am a single father of two boys in school and have never been even close to being in the situation before. This can be verified by going to gwinnettcourts.com and typing in my name! It is public record.
Still I am attempting to do what is rightand that is to complete all existing orders.
JTOSI - Your bunk bed has been built and was packaged for shipment about two weeks ago. While filling out the bill of landing I noticed that you had also ordered a trundle that I had over looked. I am now currently trying to get in wood to complete your order. I hope to ship your order complete within the next number of days.
SWROB -If you will contact me either here or at donkell@charter.net I will let you know the status of your order. I don't know who you are from this screen name. I have looked for orders for or around that amount to no avail.

I only have a few old outstanding orders left.

Again - I am Don Kell a furniture designer and builder - I am only trying to do what is right to the best of my ability and have made great sacrifices to do so!!! I claim to be a good honest honorable furniture designer and builder. I have no clue as to how to operated a business or to raise funds or be a fraud. I am simply trying to do what is right - in contrast to what I have been advised to do by attorneys.

I can be contacted at donkell@charter.net.
It may take me a few days to respond as to the fact that I am having to check my email when I can get to a public library or a friends house.

I am not affiliated with KLR Designs. I did work for them a number of years ago. The K in KLR is not for Kell. It is the owners daughters Initials.

Sincerely,
Don Kell

[dkell]

I have been able to find your order but wuable to contact you. The last e-mail address that you emailed me from will not accept mail.
Please contact me At donkell@charter.net to discuss your order.

Thank You
Don Kell

[jtosi]

OK Don, since you seem to be reading and responding to these message boards, perhaps I can reach you this way.

After finally receiving some communication from you, on September 7th I asked you to ship the beds that you keep assuring me are complete. On September 15th, you again told me you would be shipping the beds either the next day or latest Monday and that you would e:mail me the shipping tracking number in addition to receiving a call from the trucker.

Two full weeks have passed and I cannot reach you, and the beds have not arrived (it is a 2 day shipping time from Georgia to Florida).

I have told you you can call me collect, I have offered to take what you have finished now and let you finish the rest (the trundle) whenever you can, just to take the stress off, I have offered to arrange the shipping and pick up of the furniture for you. I don't know what more I can do to facilitate the shipment of these beds to me. Here it is October and my son is sleeping on mattresses on the floor because you keep promising you are shipping the beds to me. In May you said they were shipped to me, in July you told me twice they were shipping to me, in August you said the same, now in September, I gave you yet another chance, and they still have not arrived.

I am an honest person and I expect others to treat me the same. I felt bad about your situation, and gave you the benefit of the doubt again and again. With every story you gave me, I sympathized. I have given you opportunity after opportunity to do what you continue to promise, and sadly, I've been dissappointed.

The furniture that you have made in the past looks adorable. Now, please ship me my sons bunk beds!

Thank you,
jtosi

[Loremrn@netscape.net]

Hi:

I was wondering if this was the company that had the white bunk beds with the saiboat cutouts on the footboard? If so I have been searching forever but am disappointed if I am not able to get them. I have wanted them since my son was an infant!

Thanks,

Lore

[jtosi]

Dear loremrn, yes these are the cute sailboat cutout beds that you saw. I'm so dissappointed that I can't seem to get Don to ship them to me as I agree, they really are cute.

Good luck!
jtosi

[Margaret Mangan]

Don,

I have e mailed you three times regarding my palm tree headboard
which you billed through Good Karma Gallery in June of 2006. I
understand that you are going through some difficult times but
please reply so I know that you are the upstanding person that
you claim to be. I would just like to know the status of this
project. It is now October 2006 and I have yet to hear from
you. Do I have to come down to Buford from New York to find
my headboard? What's the story?

Regards
Margaret Mangan

[Margaret Mangan]

don kell,

I have as of yesterday, October 23, 2006 received a conditional credit on my credit card for the amount you charged to me through Good Karma
Art Gallery on June 15, 2006. I am very, very disappointed
by your actions and your inability to respond to my e mails
and phone calls. You are a very talented craftsperson and
I regret not being able to receive one of your headboards.

Margaret Mangan
mmangan@mindspring.com

[swrob]

Don't know what Don Kell is trying to accomplish other than buying time. He contacts people (including me) and says he's going to deliver, and then disappears again. Hasn't returned an e-mail in over a month. Since it sounds like he's got little going for him in Geiorgia, I wouldn't be surprised if he surfaced somewhere else. Con men do that regularly.

Don - if you're reading this and you want to convince me otherwise as to your "goodwill", send me back my money...NOW!

[bevinfam]

BIG MISTAKE to use him. I should have done my research! We are having a heck of a time getting a hold of him and just today I left a message asking him to return my deposit. It's been three months since it was sent and after I sent the check I have not heard a word!! Very upsetting to say the least.

[Cristi]

To all who have ordered furniture through Don and paid via check like me

This is mail fraud and your best option at this point is to file a claim with the US post office. You can do so online at www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm

Goodluck!

Don - if you happen to read this, I don't really care what your issues are at this point, just please be honest and let me know whether or not I can really expect your furniture. I need to order other furniture to place in the rooms so I can put it on the rental market. If I have not heard from you within a week from today (11/14/06) I will have no choice but to file the mail fraud claim.

[karma]

I was the owner of Good KarMa Art gallery, Don Kell has cost me $10,000. in charge backs. I am currently out of business due to this. I'm working two jobs to pay back my credit card company for the charges that keep posting. I rented Don the back of my gallery to sell his furniture because I was a sucker for his two beautiful boys, and thought he just needed a lower overhead to work. I put charges for him through my art gallery and paid him when they cleared my account. I gave Don the money he ran through, thinking he was selling and shipping his furniture. This was not a wise move for me, I realize how stupid I was. This mistaken was and still is overwhelming. I was forced to close my shop and am working franticly to cover my misfortune of trusting the man. I am going to file a law suite against him. He has slandered my name by telling others that I did not pay him the money that was charged. I have cancelled checks and the paper trail to prove I did. This has been a complete nightmere for me and my family. I do hope justice for all of us involved.

[mjboone]

I have thankfully read all of the information on Don Kell and thanks to you all I will not make the same mistake of ordering from him. Has anyone else found a supplier for these chairs? I want to order 4 chairs that have palm trees, margarita glasses, etc on the top of them, similair to the ones in the Coastal Living issue that featured Don's work. If anyone has advice on where to purchase, I would be grateful. Thanks!

[mjboone]

I have thankfully read all of the information on Don Kell and thanks to you all I will not make the same mistake of ordering from him. Has anyone else found a supplier for these chairs? I want to order 4 chairs that have palm trees, margarita glasses, etc on the top of them, similair to the ones in the Coastal Living issue that featured Don's work. If anyone has advice on where to purchase, I would be grateful. Thanks!

[deb]

Hey everyone. I realize i'm in the wrong forum but since im here, i just have to tell someone....I heard that the Victoria magazine was being revived and i looked it up at hoffmanmedia.com to confirm it...it is coming back!! i went ahead and signed up for it so i would be first in line to get my subscription started. Have a great Friday, and a happy and safe holiday weekend. :)

[Mermaid Hut]

Good news! After being unable to find a good source for the furniture in this thread, I have lined up a fabulous local carpenter who has done some fabulous pieces. I am proud to now offer these items, with the emphasis on attractive and long-lasting quality.

So if any of you are still looking for items like these, please visit my site.

http://www.mermaidhut.com/DSN/wwwmermaidhutcom/Commerce/ProductImages/lg1_002687.jpg

http://www.mermaidhut.com/DSN/wwwmermaidhutcom/Commerce/ProductImages/lg1_002686.jpg