Imperial Outdoor Living, Inc. review: Poor business practices and lies! 79

I was wondering if anyone has been able to find replacement parts for the Emperor Grill model EMP 5/36. I have a burner valve that is no longer working.

My complaint is more with the product than with the service. I placed a down payment in the amount of $500 for an Emperor Grill insert and Island at the Anaheim Garden Show in 2006. I took delivery of the product several months later with no problems when my home was finished with construction. I provided IOL with paint samples of my house and they matched the stucco on the island perfectly. The Emperor Grill turned out to be a piece of ###! The natural gas feeding lines were faulty, causing fire and heat to melt the control knobs. The quick connect coupling and valve failed with in one year and I can not find a replacement due to it's odd size. I purchased a charcoal grill at Home Depot today for $59.00, which I should have done in the first place!

These people are jokes I too purchased a BBQ Island from Imperial Outdoor Living, inc. at a home show in San Francisco. It was supposed to be delivered on a certain date and they started giving me the run around. After several phone calls and a couple of months I exchanged words with one of them, I believe Mike. He actually threatened to kick my A$$. I wanted a refund but no go, so I flew down there with a friend and rented a truck and showed up at their warehouse. Mike or whoever threatened me wouldn't show his face. Big man on the phone I guess... I did get my Island and all the stuff that came with it and of course they tried telling me my warranty would be void since they didn't deliver it. It would have been over 9 months from the time I purchased it to the time they would have delivered it, if ever at all. At best they are FLY BY NIGHT. I hope everyone gets their money back or at least a chance to sue them. I found this cause I will be needing some parts soon and their website is gone.

Santa Cruz Victim of Imperial Outdoor Living, Inc.

George W Bush. I don't know who you are, hiding behind a pseudonym, and making accusations like the one you made above. I know for a fact you wouldn't say that to my business partner's face, since you can't even post on here with your real name. No, the fact is that you must be related to Luis, or Phil, and are upset because they are in jail. Who's fault is that? Tell you what: send me an email, so we can find out who you are. Unless you are just a coward like Luis, who ran in the opposite direction every time he saw me or Ernie. Oh, by the way, we sued him a long time ago, and got every penny he owed us. He's a punk, like you.

Word has it that Louie and Tracy's house has been forclosed on and Louie is in jail. New owners now occupy the house!

Just an FYI from a neighbor. House taken by bank re-sold pretty trashed, all contents stolen. Cars repossed. They are doing I heard 4 years each. Plus have to pay $$$'s.

Damon Karaiscos from Soleil Islands. Wasn't your partner ernie a pedophile and on the megans law website for being a sexual predator?

I purchased the Emperor BBQ in 2004. I actually received all the parts and everything worked. I was lucky. I tried to get replacement parts and that is when I discovered the fate of Imperial Outdoor Living or whatever they called themselves. So, I went directly to Excell Applicances who made the Emperor. They were actually in business until mid last year. I spoke to a live person and ordered parts. Nothing came in the mail in two weeks so I called back...the phones had been disconnected. Been trying various ways to find someone who can help with parts ...no luck. One commentor to this dialogue noted a potential solution to replacement parts and that might work...Thanks. Has anyone else been able to find Excell Corp and get parts from them or has anyone found Emperor parts from any of the BBQ parts websites.

In case anyone hasn't heard, both Luis and Phil have ended up in prison. While this is a sad situation for everyone involved, some of you may rest a little easier knowing some justice was served.

Just FYI...

If you have the Emperor grill and need replacement burners, after 2 years of looking, I have a resolution. I went to BBQs Galore, looked at their Excalibur model BBQ with the center vent U tube burners. The burner is about a 1/2 inch longer than the original Emperor burner but it will work. Also, there is a centering tab on the bottom at the front that needs to come off. I broke mine off with a pair of pliers very easily as it is just a quick tack weld. Actually, with it being a little longer, I have better heat distribution than when it was new. I paid $30 each for the new burners and was up and going in 20 minutes. My old burners had huge holes from rusting through, thus hot spots all over the grill. I am thinking about buying 3 more new ones for the future in case BBQs Galore stops carrying the Excaliber brand. Way cheaper than buying a new BBQ. Goodluck!

If anyone out there knows of a class action suit, let me know. If anyone wants to get one going, let me know. I lost a huge sum of money with Imperial and I am related to one of the owners!

I also complained to the Better Business Bureau on numerous occassions about the business practices of Imperial Outdoor Living. In addition, I left numerous voicemail messages that were not returned.

I did receive a barbeque island from them that was not up to the agreed upon specifications. The tile color was wrong and there was no stainless steel flashing around the refrigerator opening or kegerator opening. Furthermore, they wanted to charge me $500 dollars because they had to get a crane to lift the island over my two-story house into the backyard, even though I told them up front that there was not enough clearance on either side of my house to move the island into the backyard. They said that they were "experts" and did this all of the time. I ended up splitting the cost of the crane with the company, even though I shouldn't have.

The kegerator has not worked properly since the day they delivered the product and I contacted the BBB about this and the flashing several times. The company kept notifying the BBB that they had resolved the issue. How can an issue be resolved when they do not even return phone calls. I eventually became frustrated and gave up with both the BBB and Imperial Outdoor Living and have lived with an inferior and cheap product.

A friend of mine who is in the Spa Industry notified me of the arrest of both Phil and Luis. I was glad to see that the circus finally caught up with them. I am constantly looking for any word of a class-action lawsuit, as I would jump in on that in a heartbeat. I would even enjoy testifying against them to ensure that they spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

Did anyone ever find replacement parts for the BBQs that were sold and delivered? I know I have been looking for Emperor grill parts for 2 years now.

We did get out island delivered but it was not right and never has been. Contacted them multiple times and never got resolution either.

I won't be posting under the name of a former or current president, and I have posted on here before. First, it is true that both Luis and Phil have been arrested. Second, the bail is a million dollars each. Third, they both have multiple counts of fraud against them. All this information is available on the San Bernardino County court website, and the story may be found here: http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_9062082?source=email In general, the entire situation is sad. Sad for these two guys, and sad for everyone they stole from. It's also sad that numerous show and fair promoters (not LA County Fair), as well as the BBB were aware of the situation, and did nothing to stop it, or protect other consumers. I know for a fact, because I did a lot of the warning to these people. I own Soleil Islands, and have been delivering islands for more than 8 years now. www.outdooroasisbysoleil.com

Everyone! Check this out!

http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_9054774

Please do not let Louie Guiterrez and Phil Bovar ruin your dreams of having the backyard barbecue you always wanted. There are many bbq companies out there that have been around for years, and sell a quality product which they stand behind 100%. The coolest thing is that you can even call them and get a person that answers on the other end. Imagine that! Bull Outdoor Products is one of these companies. They have been around for 15 years, and continue to expand their business each year. Check them out.

www.bullbbq.com

Hopefully Louie and Phil get what they deserve!

I lost $5000 of a down payment on an outdoor BBQ. I like many of the others purchased a unit at the show in Pleasanton, CA and was given many assurances that the company was on the up and up. Unfortunately, we had some delays in getting our backyard prepped for the unit. When I began to contact Imperial, they gave me the run around about delays in the manufacturing and what not. I wanted to get a refund, but of course they were not hearing it. I ended up going back to the fair a year later and began hearing bad news about the company. Tried contacting them, and eventually heard they no longer were in business. There was no contact from them regarding this. I feel that I was swindle from the beginning, and that my down payment was used to fund the manufacturing of someone else's outdoor bbq. I want to be included in the class action lawsuit against Imperial.

Just so everyone knows.

Louie Was charged and arrested on 4/23/08 with 42 felony counts of grand theft and bail was set at 1 million dollars.

Phil was also charged with 42 felony counts of grand theft and bail was also set at 1 million dollars.

You can blame all this B.S. on Louis and the BBB. I wrote to the BBB in 2002 to complain about this clown and Imperial Outdoor Living, but back then it was Imperial Outdoor Products. He burnt enough bridges that he had to close up his building in Ontario and move to Rancho and a name change. Sounds like he is still going strong. I'm truly surprised to hear this guy is still around, that many enemies and all. I personally tried to save a couple that was going to purchase from piece of filth, don't know if they purchased or not. I feel your pain.

Repeat of all above. Put 1/2 down payment ($2880) on BBQ island in June '06, called for February '07 deivery (never got an answer), havent' seen a thing.(nor ever will) Add us to your list.

For anybody looking for luis guiterrez here is his new cell phone number. Luis was the ceo of imperial outdoor living. He was the final say in everything, and ran the company into the ground with all his lies and ###. He ripped off all the customers, his own family, and finally all of the vendors. I hope this helps anybody who was burned by these guys.

louie guiterrez
[protected]

If any of you want to find Luis Guitierrez, and you should because he is just as quilty if not more so than Phil. Check out the Yard House at Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, I know for a fact he's there most weekends in the evening.

All I can say is WOW.

Another ripped off unsatisfied customer. Wife gave Matt Vandergriff $3500 deposit on a $7000 M5000 bbq. He said she could cancel it the same day if she got home and found it would not fit our space. Canceled within 2 hrs. Went out and saw them myself the next day and we discussed going with a different model but the price went up. Continued cancellation of the order. Matt said they would reverse the charges. We bought Aug 06 at Anaheim show they still have our $3500 and we have no BBQ. We tried to reverse charges but Chase Visa said we waited to long to contest it...

Did Phil go to jail yet? I want to say that Phil kept on folding me in very inappropriate areas at a home show. Then he took me to his old car and starting putting HIS fat half Chinese moves on me. Then he forced me to buy a BBQ because he said he was "broke as a joke" and needed money for his "habit" and just started crying like a little school girl. I just hope he goes to jail for what he did to me. I also never received the BBQ island I was supposed to get. IMPERIAL LIVING IS GOOD FOR 2 THINGS... NO GOOD AND GOOD FOR NOTHING.

Phil Bovard scheduled in court 6/21 on criminal charges for bouncing checks back in December. Check out court schedule for San Bernadino criminal. Maybe he can avoid us but the DA is probably a little more difficult. If this helps anyone trying to track him down go for it. The DA investigator called me the other day to verify the info I submitted regarding my phantom bbq and advised he would be presenting to the DA to see if they had enough evidence to make a case. Has anyone had any success in suing him or his corp? Is there any hope of getting anything even if you win?

Any insight is appreciated. Hope he rots.

We purchased a BBQ from Imperial during a home show on Oct. 23, 2005 and gave them a $1,000 deposit. After a delay in our construction schedule we requested to delay the delivery and were informed that it would not be a problem. We have attempted to contact Imperial several time with no luck. If there is a class action law suit in process I would like to be added to the list.

Richard L. Jones
Las Vegas, NV
email: rljones6352@msn.com

I purchased my grill at the fresno show last year, purchasing it thru Matt Vandegriff. Paid in full, was supposed to take 6-8 weeks to build. Kept calling and calling left many messages. Spoke to June, who kept apologizing, a few times, finally 12+ weeks later it was delivered. Had/Have major problems with it, the knobs heat up tooooo much and make it un-usable. They were out 4 times and never could fix it, They never returned calls while I was waiting for them to fix it, after 20 calls I would get June who again apologized, and would say I will call you right back, she never did, took another 20 calls to get her on the phone again, to get the same BS apology and story. I can to the conclusion that it's a design flaw with that huge air vent in the back of the unit. I now have a pretty Island with a BBQ that can't be used.

Help! I am in need of a NEW ORFACE ! (Not a pun...)

I was one of the lucky ones that did actually get the island, but...

It was suposed to be a propane unit, not a gas unit. On the third attempt for them to deliver the unit I found out that it had been fitted with the "natural gas orfaces" instead of the propane ones for the unit. They asked if I still wanted it or that I could wait about 30-45 days for a new one. At first I was going to refuse delivery, but then I decided against it and after reading all the postings here I am glad that I took it! This was in August of 2006.

My problem is that they never gave me the correct orfaces. I too got the run around until thier number was not longer any good.

I have been to several BBQ Island places and NO ONE, I mean NO ONE will sell me these orfaces for the propane unit! They all tell me to go to the manufacture, but as we all know, they are out of business.

I have changed these orfaces for water heaters, stoves, furnaces and even BBQ grills in the past. It is very easy to do and there are only a few different sizes for these orfaces. All the retail places refuse to sell them to me! They keep giving me some bull that these are all custom and that none of the ones that they have or carry will fit my grill. I know that this is bull since I have switched these in the past and only a few different sizes are made.

Is there anyone out there that knows of somewhere where I can purchase these with out the big song and dance?

No one will sell to me. Someone please take my money!

All I can say is wow.

We were lucky. We bought the floor model that they had in their booth at the Temecula mall, in October 2005. They did deliver that floor model to us pretty quickly (after all, no assembly needed). We paid $4500 for it, an OK price. They did ship us an extra cover as well. I'm glad we didn't get taken, since we have been taking before by a landscaping contractor. There are a lot of flakes in southern CA ;-)

Imperial Outdoor Living, Inc. is a joke, i have had experience with them all i am glad they are gone i am sure the heads of this co. took advantage of a lot of people, so they could drive there nice cars... "what a bunch of dorks".

Actually, not everyone sells the same product, and there are a few companies that you can trust. Although I am not in the business of sending prospective island buyers to my competition, I can say that BBQ Islands Unlimited is NOT Imperial Outdoor Living. I can also say that Bull Outdoor Products is a very reputable company. As I have stated here before, in several other posts, it is simple to research a company, and all buyers should do so before purchasing. I have posted my website here before, and will do so now. You may also look up my company "Soleil Hearth and Home" on the BBB web site, although they haven't updated my address. I wish all of you the very best in your pursuit of justice, and hope that you will get some satisfaction from the courts.

www.outdooroasisbysoleil.com

I did a Corporation Search; I could not find anything under that name. All of these companies pretty much sell the same product. I purchased a unit from Bull Products once before and I had no problem. Who knows who you can trust anymore.

Hi All,

I am part of this mess and was just talking to a friend. She went to a show and is about to buy a BBQ from a company called BBQ Islands Unlimited. I looked up their web site and they are selling the same models as Imperial. Has anyone heard of this company? I would hate for her to go the same thing all of us are.

I called the San Bernardino DA and they are already investigating numerous complaints. Please call investigator Neely at [protected].

My Mother ordered and received a BBQ from Imperial Outdoor so; I went ahead and ordered the Mini St. Croix model. I place an initial deposit of 3,000.00 in August of 2005. I told them that I was having some remodeling done to my Backyard and that I would need about a year before taking delivery. My Mother waited about a year before taking delivery of her BBQ and I had seen them at Home Shows many times so; I was not concerned about my deposit at that time. About 5 months later I called them to have my BBQ put in to production; I paid an additional 5890.00 and made my Tile and Stucco selections. In June of 2006, I began calling them about the status of my unit; i left several messages with June without a return telephone call. I finally called Matt Vandagriff on his Cell and he set a delivery date with me for July 24, 2006. On July 24, 2006, I waited all day at home and no one showed up. I called the office several times throughout the day and was assured that they were on their way. I called Matt again the next day and was told that the delivery driver tried to call me but, I did not answer so; they skipped my delivery. We set another delivery date for the following week. My Daughter-in Law was there when they came to deliver the BBQ and they told her without even making an attempt to take the unit off of the truck, that I would need to order a Crane to deliver the unit. I had an Island delivery by another company previously without a Crane, no problem. About a week later they called me to say that they had a Crance delivering in my area that day and could they deliver the unit. I had no one available that day to take delivery so; I had to decline. I called them back to tell them that I had a slab issue in my backyard and that I needed to again put the delivery on hold for a few weeks. They told me that if I did not take delivery right away that I would have to wait six to eight months. I did not understand this since, this was a custom job built with custom features. Since then, I have tried to reach them several times to no avail. Last night I received a letter of apology stating that the company is insolvent and I will not be receiving my Island or my money. The cost of this Island was 14,780.09. I too want to go after this bunch of crooks. If there is a Class Action Suit pending, I am in. However, I do not believe that this is a Civil matter; I believe that this is a criminal matter and needs to be pursued by local and federal authorities.

I paid the 1/3 deposit in May '06 at the Auburn Home and Garden Show in Northern California. Please contact me with any information concerning a class action law suit.

Yeap... I am one of the victim like the rest of you. I paid $1300.00 towards my BBQ back in [protected] in Anaheim convention center. The only difference is that I do received couple of phone calls from them that they can actually deliver my BBQ eariler without paying any extra money but I told them I don't need the BBQ until middle of 2007 and they call me another time after a month or so.

I guess they tell difference story to different buyer. Bank of America will not refund my money due to their police states that they can only refund up to 90 days... pissed me off.

Do not be fooled by any letters of apology. Luis Gutierrez and Phil Bovard have already proven themselves to be incapable of running a company, when they bankrupted their previous company "Imperial Outdoor PRODUCTS" just months before starting Imperial Outdoor Living. All the home show promoters knew who they were, as did the Better Business Bureau. How do I know this? Because I worked there, before quitting and starting my own company with my business partner. They were stealing from the customers back then, and pocketing all the money. That's exactly what they did this time as well.

www.outdooroasisbysoleil.com