A Chicago family is accusing an estate seller of taking advantage of them in their hour of grief

PARK FOREST, Ill. (CBS) – When a family in the south suburbs lost a loved one, they turned to a local estate sales company for help.

But the family later accused the business owner of taking advantage of them in their hour of mourning, and that’s when CBS 2 got involved.

The loss of a loved one can leave anyone feeling empty and missing the most mundane conversations.

The coupon calls from Mary Lewis’ brother, Andrew, stopped in December.

‘He would call me. He says, you know, such and such a store has butter on sale this week,” Lewis said.

When first responders arrived, there was nothing they could do, said Ronald Lewis, Andrew’s brother-in-law.

Andrew’s death came as a shock. What was also unexpected was the long to-do list that followed, including arranging the funeral, calling creditors, returning TV equipment and more.

“He had a number of doctor appointments coming up,” said Lea Queen, Andrew’s niece. “We had to let them know he had passed away. So it was very overwhelming.”

Queen felt some relief after hiring Hughes Estates Sales to sell her uncle’s furniture and belongings. The goal was to clear everything out so they could check off another task: selling Andrew’s Park Forest house.

“The sales associate comes in, they analyze everything you have and of course there’s a value to it,” Mary Lewis said.

Their contract with business owner Corey Hughes stated that he would receive a 40% cut in sales, but the Lewis family said he walked away with all the profits. The money was intended to pay for Andrew’s memorial service and other expenses.

“He stopped responding to our texts, and that made us very suspicious,” Ron Lewis said.

Their intuition led to the discovery of a second company owned by Hughes called Trucare Estate Sales.

“That led me to a Yelp page and his reviews were not positive at all,” Queen said.

An alert from the Better Business Bureau said Trucare Estate Sales failed to resolve disputes.

The customer who left a one-star review told CBS 2 she expected $2,000 from Hughes after he conducted her family’s estate sale in the southwest suburb of Romeoville. The woman alleged that Hughes stringed her along for months, making up excuse after excuse for not paying her.

“That was very difficult to read,” Mary Lewis said. “To realize that there’s someone out there preying on people when they’re at their lowest.”

Queen added that Hughes is “essentially stealing from a dead person.” She said that’s why she contacted CBS 2 because “if I don’t say something, this will happen to someone else.”

That desire to protect others is what brought CBS 2 to a home in Joliet.

Mary Beth Gannon invited CBS 2 to see how she manages her estate sales. You do not need a permit for the work. The sector is not regulated.

“Anyone can do this,” Gannon said. “So you can get some good people and some bad people, and that goes for everything.”

So how does a grieving customer, with so much on his mind, decide who to trust?

“I want them to know what I do,” Gannon said.

She has an open door policy. Gannon suggested watching how the seller organizes and prepares his customers’ valuables.

News reporter: “By hanging a price tag, your customer knows in advance how much you will charge for this?”

Gannon: “Yes.”

She also encouraged families to attend the estate sale itself, if the company allows it.

“If they are available, I always welcome them to my place,” Gannon said.

Another must for the seller is to pay customers on the last day of a sale and provide documentation of what was purchased and for what amount.

“Maybe I won’t write down that I sold four forks, three knives and two spoons,” Gannon said. “I say ‘silverware, $8.’ But I’m going to write it down anyway.”

Despite promises of itemized lists and signed contracts, some Hughes customers said they were left alone in times of need.

But in the end it turned out to be a case of someone who was startled by questions from a television reporter. After CBS 2 asked about the months-long delay in payment, Hughes sent Andrew’s family $600. The other customer in Romeoville magically got her money as well.

CBS 2 gave Hughes several opportunities to explain his business practices in an interview, but he said his attorney would get back to him. That never happened.