VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla — There are more complaints rolling in about a boat builder Action 9 has reported on in the past.
“He said it’d be done in two or three months,” Don Haven from Montverde told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal.
Haven was talking about the boat builder, Jeff Love, from Volusia County. Haven claims he paid Jeff Love big money for a new boat more than two years ago but Love still hasn’t delivered the boat.
“You know, it’s just not the right way to treat people in my opinion,” said Haven.
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After Action 9 reported on complaints against Jeff Love in 2018, he was arrested and later convicted for grand theft and scheme to defraud. He pleaded no contest to the charges in 2021. The judge sentenced Love to 15 years of probation.
In this new complaint, Don Haven said after paying tens of thousands of dollars he’s received nothing but excuses over the past couple of years.
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Living on Lake Apopka, Haven and his family love the outdoors.
He said, “When we had a sports magazine, we did a lot with airboating and the outdoors.”
In fact, years ago he hired Jeff Love to build an airboat, and described it as great.
“I had no reason to believe that he couldn’t do it again,” Haven explained.
So in 2022, he hired Love to build another one. He claims he paid more than $50,000 in cash and other boating equipment and Love promised to have it done in a few months.
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Don Haven had no idea Action 9 had done a story on Jeff Love in 2018 when at least four customers claimed they paid him and the company he ran, Affliction Airboats, $30,000 to $60,000 for boats they never received.
In 2018, now retired Action 9 Consumer Investigator Todd Ulrich approached Love’s business location and addressed a woman on the porch. He said, “I’m here about customers who say they paid big deposits for boats never delivered.”
The woman answered, “You have to leave the property.”
Following that report, Love was arrested in Volusia County. After he pleaded no contest to the grand theft and scheme to defraud charges, the judge ordered him to pay back tens of thousands of dollars to five different victims.
Don Haven is feeling the frustration.
“Went into a year, and it went into a year and a half, and then two years. Now we’re looking at two years and four months,” he said.
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Haven showed Action 9 text message exchanges going back more than two years with someone he claims is Jeff Love. The messages show promises and then excuses about finishing the boat.
In February of this year, one message shows Jeff Love promised to return $50,000 on or before March 20th. Don Haven said he still hasn’t received the money or the boat. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it is investigating recent fraud complaints against Jeff Love.
When Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal showed up at Love’s Volusia County home and former business address to ask him about it, even though there were cars in the driveway, no one answered the door.
Haven said, “I may not get my boat. I may not get my money, but I don’t want him to do it to anybody else. That’s just not fair.”
Action 9 also tried to reach Love through phone by text message and by email to the attorney who represented him in the old case to ask about the new allegations. So far, there’s been no response.
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