A South Florida woman who said she was out more than $1,000 after hiring a private chef who never showed up, now has her money back.
Last week, CBS News Miami told you about Hibachi Joe, the chef who said he got into an accident 30 minutes before the dinner and never showed up.
“I was like, did I just get my money back?” said Bridget McKinney.
McKinney fought for days to get back the more than $1,300 she paid for a service she said never happened.
CBS News Miami showed the receipts after she booked a hibachi dinner with Johansen Oliva, also known as Hibachi Joe.
Just before the dinner, McKinney received a text saying he was in a car accident and he never showed up.
The next day, he sent a message saying he would refund the money, but days later, McKinney received nothing.
Then, after our story aired, the chef, sent her a refund.
“I was amazed, because it really showed the power of media and the community pushing for accountability,” said McKinney.
Last week, CBS News Miami found Yelp reviews describing nearly identical experiences.
The chef allegedly claiming he was in a car accident on the day of the event and then failing to issue refunds.
McKinney got her money back but says it’s about more than that.
“It’s not just about the money; it’s about the others,” said McKinney.
She said more people have reached out to her since our story aired, sharing similar complaints about the chef.
“I’ve gotten a couple inboxes from people saying this happened to them and they’re like, ‘Wow, I should’ve gone that way.’ Most importantly, a lot of them have not recovered their funds,” said McKinney.
A customer on Yelp did tell CBS News Miami they were able to recover their money through their bank, but McKinney said others are still waiting.
CBS News Miami has made multiple attempts to talk to Oliva, including phone calls, texts and knocking on his door.
We have not heard back.
