Teh One Who Knocks
06-02-2018, 11:12 AM
Peter Bernard - News Channel 8
https://i.imgur.com/5KQUCgdl.jpg
LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) - They won't leave until you pay them!
Three salesmen from a Pinellas Park meat delivery company are facing similar charges after deputies tell us they robbed customers by forcing them to purchase beef and seafood.
“He was so pushy and angry and mean and everything,” said victim Shirley McGathey.
A broken hip and injured knee has the 85-year-old using a walker.
McGathey recounted her recent visit with Ronald Vanwie, a salesmen for Gourmet Grocery.
“I wanted to go up the ramp and get in the house and get away from him 'cause he was really scuzzy and pushy,” said McGathey.
She says Vanwie barged his way in with a pitch.
“'I'll sell you all this beef for,' I don't know, he said 4 or 5 hundred dollars or something like that. And he said, 'you can have the seafood free,'” she remembers.
McGathey wasn't buying.
“I said, 'I don't want any meat and I don't want any seafood. So just take it and leave.'”
That didn't work.
“He said, 'well how about just the beef?' I said, 'no, I don't want the beef. Just leave,'” she said.
The price kept dropping, as Vanwie stuffed her freezer.
“I said, 'I don't want that. Take it out and leave,'” said McGathey.
Vanwie refused.
“I wrote him a check for $200 to get rid of him because I didn't know what he was gonna do,” said McGathey.
Two other gourmet grocery salesmen were busted for the very same thing. Erick Harmon and Andrew Tsaffaras are facing similar charges as Vanwie.
“There's multiple incidents where there's complaints from agencies all throughout Pinellas County,” said Corp. Dan Difrancesco with the sheriff’s office.
Shirley is glad nothing bad happened.
“He scared me," she said.
She ended up tossing all of the meat. There are at least a dozen complaints about Gourmet Grocery.
The company has an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Calls to the business were not returned.
https://i.imgur.com/5KQUCgdl.jpg
LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) - They won't leave until you pay them!
Three salesmen from a Pinellas Park meat delivery company are facing similar charges after deputies tell us they robbed customers by forcing them to purchase beef and seafood.
“He was so pushy and angry and mean and everything,” said victim Shirley McGathey.
A broken hip and injured knee has the 85-year-old using a walker.
McGathey recounted her recent visit with Ronald Vanwie, a salesmen for Gourmet Grocery.
“I wanted to go up the ramp and get in the house and get away from him 'cause he was really scuzzy and pushy,” said McGathey.
She says Vanwie barged his way in with a pitch.
“'I'll sell you all this beef for,' I don't know, he said 4 or 5 hundred dollars or something like that. And he said, 'you can have the seafood free,'” she remembers.
McGathey wasn't buying.
“I said, 'I don't want any meat and I don't want any seafood. So just take it and leave.'”
That didn't work.
“He said, 'well how about just the beef?' I said, 'no, I don't want the beef. Just leave,'” she said.
The price kept dropping, as Vanwie stuffed her freezer.
“I said, 'I don't want that. Take it out and leave,'” said McGathey.
Vanwie refused.
“I wrote him a check for $200 to get rid of him because I didn't know what he was gonna do,” said McGathey.
Two other gourmet grocery salesmen were busted for the very same thing. Erick Harmon and Andrew Tsaffaras are facing similar charges as Vanwie.
“There's multiple incidents where there's complaints from agencies all throughout Pinellas County,” said Corp. Dan Difrancesco with the sheriff’s office.
Shirley is glad nothing bad happened.
“He scared me," she said.
She ended up tossing all of the meat. There are at least a dozen complaints about Gourmet Grocery.
The company has an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Calls to the business were not returned.