Victims Talk of Being Ripped Off by Fuqua Homes

All the Morris family wanted was a new home to put on their land out near Alfalfa, so they started to work with Bend-based Fuqua Homes on pursuing that dream.

“They’ve been in Bend for so long that we thought we were safe going with them,” Angie Morris said Friday.

After all, Angie’s brother bought a home from the company, and the Morrisses have dealt with the company before, and hadn’t heard anything bad about it. But they soon were about to, when the company offered a discount if the paid in full, up front.

“We get in there and make the payment in full, and waited and waited. And then we realized something wasn’t right,” Angie Morris said.

The couple put down $160,198 in June of this year,- and were promised a home by October.

But as time wore on, they said the company kept giving them excuse after excuse about why their home wasn’t being built.

“The whole time we were dealing with them, they were promising that our home would be built,” Jeff Morris said. “But at that point in time, the manufacturing department wasn’t even making homes, so we were defrauded from the sales people.”

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services says Fuqua shut its Boyd Acres Road factory in February — but kept taking orders through at least August.

The Morisses aren’t the only victims. The department points to 25 similar cases, all involving the company failing to deliver homes or refund deposits to customers.

“I couldn’t believe there had been that many other people who had been tricked out of their money,” Angie Morris said.

The state revoked Fuqua’s business license this week.

“I’m glad this can’t happen to any other consumers out there, but I think it should have happened sooner,” Jeff Morris said.

All the couple wants is justice, their money back and for the people involved to never have the chance to do this again.

When NewsChannel 21 first heard about these problems earlier this fall, company officials were unwilling to talk, and now shut down by the state, they still aren’t talking.

The couple hopes to join others to file suit before the company has a chance to file bankruptcy.

“Hopefully, if we all kind of band together, maybe we will see something happen out of it,” Angie Morris said.

Meanwhile, the Morrisses have worked with Home Direct, another manufactured home company in Bend, and will move into their new dream home in January.