Nearly two dozen additional customers have reported losing tens of thousands of dollars to American Log Homes and Cabins, according to public records obtained from the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office by The Charlotte Observer. The new disclosures add to a growing investigation into the Charlotte-based log cabin seller, which abruptly closed in January after accepting large payments from buyers across the United States.
Expanding Customer Losses and Prior Complaints
The Charlotte Observer previously identified at least 50 customers across 22 states who lost money when American Log Homes and Cabins shut down weeks after taking substantial payments. A law firm that previously represented the company estimated that total customer losses reached millions of dollars. Newly released complaint files from the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office show that nearly two dozen additional buyers are reporting similar losses, having paid between $14,500 and more than $25,000 for discounted log home shell kits without ever receiving their merchandise or securing refunds.
While representatives for owner Michele Wilson Szabo have described the company’s closure as unavoidable and maintained that the business operated cleanly for decades, newly public records indicate that consumer grievances date back much further. According to complaints filed with regulators, customers accused the business of taking funds without delivering materials as early as 2017, when the enterprise operated under the name Log Concepts LLC. When questioned about these records, Charlotte attorney Noell Tin pointed to a previous statement asserting that American Log Homes and Cabins had operated for 24 years without issues, adding via email that “Michele fully intended to continue the business and believed she could do so until the very end.”
Impact on Retirees and Vulnerable Buyers
The newly surfaced complaints highlight severe personal impacts on would-be homeowners, several of whom invested into the discounted cabin kits. An anonymous 2017 complaint forwarded by the Small Business Administration accused the seller of taking over $20,000 from an elderly individual experiencing deteriorating health. In another file, a Florida purchaser stated in a 2018 complaint that she paid $16,500 in December 2015 but could no longer reach company representatives to coordinate delivery.
Other buyers described how the sudden closure disrupted long-term retirement plans. Timothy Barbre, a retired Ohio resident, stated in a February complaint that he and his wife lost $16,500 after purchasing a kit in June 2020 to build a home in Tennessee. Barbre noted that they currently live in a camper with severely restricted options due to the financial loss. Similarly, a New Jersey resident informed Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s office in February that her $24,500 kit was intended as an escape from an abusive marriage, but Szabo refused delivery or a refund following disputes over foundation preparation.
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