HOUSTON – A local business owner accused of taking off with customers' money lashed out when confronted with cameras.
"This is based on trust," Rena Head, the owner of an Elegant Estate Sale, told a KPRC Channel 2 News producer. "That's what this business is. And she doesn't know that. She just runs her mouth," referring to KPRC consumer expert Amy Davis.
Head is accused of taking thousands of dollars in money and property from customers. In January, Davis asked viewers to let her know where Head might be. With their help, Davis tracked her at her own eviction hearing in Galveston. KPRC sent a producer to get answers to all of the allegations piling up against her.
"I have gone through hell and back since Amy Davis did the first story," Rena shouted.
She's referring to a story Davis did in 2013. Charles Francis said Head sold his property at an estate sale, but paid him much less than what he was owed two months after the sale.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Broken promises, basically," Francis said, three years ago.
This year Channel 2 Investigates learned more than a dozen other customers are now making the same complaints.
"She took it all. She took everything," said customer Linda McSwain.
McSwain contracted with Head to sell her aging parents' belongings in August. What did her parents receive for the sale?
"Nothing. My parents didn't receive a dime. They haven't received anything," said McSwain.
"What about Linda McSwain?" a Channel 2 News producer asked Head outside a Galveston courtroom. "She said she never got any money for anything for her parents."
"She needs a straight jacket," replied Head.
She went from insulting to borderline apologetic.
"They're going to get it all paid, because I'm going to double shift myself and work until I die, and I will pay them," Head told the producer.
But she blames all of her business problems on Davis.
"Tell Amy to straighten it out. She's the big mouth," said Head.
There are no rules or regulations for estate sale businesses, but Channel 2 found one paragraph in Head's contract troubling. It reads "All costs for accounting, cleaning, merchandising and advertising the estate sale will be paid by seller and deducted from the gross sales of the estate sale prior to the agreed upon percentage split." At one sale, Head claimed those costs exceeded $13,000 after a dispute over items she wanted to sell, but the owner refused. She claimed the customer owed her $64,000.
"I have acted and worked so hard for every one of them!" Head said.
Prosecutors with the Consumer Fraud division of the Harris County District Attorney's office are still looking into this one.