Homeowner Alleges Nikki Levy Interiors Engaged In Deceitful Practices To Increase Commission.
Plaintiff Wants To Know How Designer Spent $115,000.
BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Boca Raton interior designer is facing a lawsuit from the new owners of a home in Boca Bridges who claim the designer inflated costs and engaged in “clandestine” meetings to block access to vendors.
Nikki Levy Interiors, located on NW 2nd Avenue in Boca Raton, is being sued by homeowner Robert Beyer. Beyer claims in the suit that the company routinely purchased higher priced products than what Beyer wanted to generate a greater commission. Beyer alleges Nikki Levy Interiors wouldn’t provide an accounting of how the company spent $115,000.
From the suit:
“THE AGREEMENT On or about February 3, 2020, Plaintiff into NLI’s Interior Design Agreement – Residential (the “Agreement”) with NLI pursuant to which NLI agreed, inter alia, to attend various pre-construction meetings and to design the interiors of the Beyer Home.
Pursuant to the Agreement, Beyer promptly paid at $ 15,435.00 as an initial engagement fee.
In addition to the Initial Engagement Fee, NLI charges a 25% Fee on “Decorative and Products ”(although the term Decorative Products is not defined in the Agreement, examples of such items include: furniture, lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, flooring, cabinetry, countertops, faux paint, drapery, accessories, rugs, kitchens. (No fees are charged on kitchen and laundry appliances), and a fee of 12.5% on the amount of “Contracted Services” with examples that include paint and painting services (excluding the cost of faux paint, as this is covered above); wood stains and re-staining services; installation services for tile work; the fabrication and installation of countertops, and other construction related services … “
Also from the suit:
“The Agreement states that NLI has chosen a percentage-based fee arrangement, rather than a time-based fee arrangement, because “Client’s project is a creative and collaborative process with Client and third parties, and NLI has found that it does not want to be constrained by time in this creative and collaborative process. NLI wants to dedicate as much time as is needed without restrictions. NLI fails to mention that it will ignore the directives of the Client and choose Decorative Products and Contracted Services that have exorbitant prices so that fee is higher. The Agreement also details the “Purchasing Process” as follows: (a) NLI will forward the vendors quotation sheets for all products and services proposed as part of the design concept prior to ordering and (b) the approved quotation sheets will be processed only after client approval (and any applicable deposits). Even though the Agreement specifically calls out the Purchasing Process, in the case of the Beyer Home, NLI refused to forward any vendor quotation sheets under the guise that the vendors didn’t want their identities known until after the fees have been paid and the items installed. NLI would only allow Plaintiff to examine invoices in clandestine private meetings. It is unknown whether the invoices displayed to Plaintiff were the actual invoices because NLI refused to provide an accounting …”
Read the complete lawsuit, below. If it does not appear, access the filing here. We remind our readers that a lawsuit is an accusation, the merits of which will be decided in court. The suit was filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. No immediate response was filed by Nikki Levy Interiors.
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