Don’t Get Scammed This Thanksgiving: The Maddhouse Catering Story
When the holiday season rolls around, everyone looks forward to cooking up delicious feasts for friends and family. For those who don’t have the time or resources to make a holiday meal at home, catering services often come to the rescue. But, this year, some Houston area residents would be wise to think twice before ordering catering services, after a recent incident involving Maddhouse Catering left dozens of holiday meal customers feeling scammed.
What Happened at Maddhouse Catering?
Maddhouse Catering offers food stand services in Deer Park, Texas. This Thanksgiving, they offered meals for sale ahead of time through CashApp or Venmo. Customers reportedly paid between $200-300 each for their meals, but on Thanksgiving Day, dozens of customers reported not receiving any food. Even those who spoke to the company on Thanksgiving Day reported available food was running low and they had no money to refund customers for any lost meals.
Gone Cold on Thanksgiving Day
On Thanksgiving Day, many customers reported that they were unable to contact Maddhouse Catering about their missing meals. A video posted to social media allegedly showed an affiliated person telling people that the company’s phones were “overloaded with messages” and had shut down. Postings on Maddhouse Catering’s Facebook page clarified this situation, claiming the company had “run out of food”, their “oven caught fire”, and they lacked the money to refund customers.
Turning to the Law for Justice
Given the gravity of this situation, Deer Park police began investigating the incident to determine whether Maddhouse Catering was running a legitimate business. So far, the business has not been able to produce any documentation or licensing to back up their claims, and they refused to comment when questioned by FOX 26. However, authorities are treating this incident as a legitimate business practice investigation. On Friday afternoon, a woman from the business owner’s home was arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Get Your Money Back or Get Justice
Anyone who believes they were a victim of this Thanksgiving meal scam is urged to contact Officer Spencer at (281) 478-2000. And, if you’re in the market for a catering service this holiday season, be sure to take the time to do a proper background check before putting down your money. It’s fine to trust strangers, but don’t forget that trust isn’t free.
