An Army veteran who lives in Maryland man spent tens of thousands of dollars to start his own business, but almost four years later, he’s still waiting to get to work.
Nathan Faison of Landover has a dream of starting his own barbecue business, so he met with the owner of Riverbend Smokers and Concession Trailers in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and signed a contract for a 25-foot trailer with a smoker grill and an 8-foot porch. He made two payments totaling $29,500.
The contract said his commercial smoker would be complete by Oct. 31, 2012, but four years later, he still doesn’t have his smoker.
He said every time he heard from Riverbend’s owner, Faison was told he didn’t have any money.
Faison filed a complaint with Virginia's Attorney General's Office earlier this year.
“And they did nothing,” he said.
The company’s website has been taken down, but News4 did reach the owner, Steve Randles, by phone and asked him how long it takes to build the smoker Faison ordered. He said three months and proceeded to say he did not have to explain why Faison's smoker wasn’t built. Then he hung up.
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He didn’t answer his door when News4 visited his Fredericksburg home, which is also his business address.
Meanwhile, Faison has been unemployed for four years. He said he spent all of his money on the smoker.
“I’m tired of all the lies, and it’s time to get my money, try to get back on track and get to work,” he said.
The Attorney General’s Office said it does not comment on open cases.
