Valley Carpet Cleaner Charged With Theft, False Advertising

A 26-year-old man faces multiple counts of theft and false advertising for charging customers higher prices than advertised by his Canoga Park carpet cleaning business, according to Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn’s office.

Tamir Pinhas was charged Monday with three counts of grand theft, five counts of theft and six counts of false advertising for “bait-and-switch” tactics used to pressure customers into accepting higher prices than his business, Elephant Carpet Care, advertised, according to the city attorney.

Filed in Los Angeles Municipal Court, the charges grew out of an investigation into Pinhas’ business launched after the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs received 34 complaints between 1993 and January.

According to Hahn’s office, the complaints came mostly from senior citizens living alone who were pressured into paying for cleaning services priced far above the costs quoted in Elephant Carpet Care’s postal mailings.

In one instance, the city attorney’s office said, a 92-year-old Rancho Palos Verdes man was allegedly charged $909.88 after agreeing to $50 worth of carpet cleaning. In another, a Baldwin Park woman responded to an ad promising $15.99 worth of carpet cleaning and was allegedly billed $530, a figure that was lowered to $477 when she disputed the amount.

Pinhas is scheduled for arraignment April 24.