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Joan Temerson of Treasure Island thought she’d lost her deposit on hurricane shutters when Roll-A-Way went bankrupt. Her deposit and those of approximately 381 other customers were honored by QMI, the nation’s largest installer of hurricane shutters.
photo for Tropical Breeze courtesy of QMI
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“I thought my deposit of $4,101 was gone and that I would never get my hurricane shutters,” said Joan Temerson of Treasure Island, after she learned last fall that Roll-A-Way had declared bankruptcy.
“Then the new owner of Roll-A-Way’s name and facilities contacted us and agreed to install the shutters for only the balance due on the contract even though they received none of our deposit. Naturally, we were skeptical. Would the shutters be of the same quality as before and would they be properly installed?
“Since we didn’t have to make final payment until the job was done and we were satisfied, we decided to take a chance and go ahead. We made the right decision. The installers were very professional and really nice. We’re delighted with the results.”
Roll-A-Way, with headquarters in St. Petersburg, and offices in Ft. Myers and Oakland Park, filed for bankruptcy in October 2007 after failing to find a buyer for the entire business. In January 2008, a company headquartered in Illinois, Qualitas Manufacturing, Inc. (QMI), purchased substantially all of Roll-A-Way’s assets in a sale through the bankruptcy court, QMI is the largest manufacturer of rolling shutters in the U.S.
“We knew what we were getting into when we bought the Roll-A-Way name and facilities,” said Jim Miller, president of QMI. “We knew that Roll-A-Way had built an outstanding reputation over the years and we did not want to see it diminished because of their inability to meet their obligations to those customers who had given them deposits, which totaled over $3 million.
“We offered customers who had given Roll-A-Way an up-front deposit the opportunity to have their shutters installed at the price previously agreed upon — giving them full credit for their deposit, even though we did not receive the deposit and even though costs of material had risen substantially since the original contracts had been written. Approximately 381 Roll-A-Way customers had lost their deposits. For those customers who took us up on our offer, we are completing all installations in the St. Petersburg area and throughout Florida. This signals our intention to remain the number one supplier of hurricane shutters in the state.
“Moreover, in order to assure new customers that their deposits will not be lost as a result of bankruptcy or any other reason, we are offering new customers the option of putting their deposit in escrow until the work is actually completed,” said Miller.
QMI was established 22 years ago and is the largest manufacturer of rolling shutters in the U.S. QMI is the primary supplier of security shutters for major companies such as Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and many others. QMI’s hurricane shutters have been installed throughout Florida, the East Coast and the Caribbean. QMI and Roll-A-Way products comply with the Florida Building Code, are approved for use in the Florida Building Code High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), and are Miami-Dade County approved. Complete information about the company and its products is available at www.QMIUSA.com and www.Roll-A-Way.com
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