Harold Trip, Jr. of Premier Planning and Development

RELATED ARTICLE:
Reporters from the "Grayson  Buzz" examine the facts:
(posted below article)

Pictured Right: Harold A. Trip, Jr.
According to several sources,
Trip had to pay Gwinnett Magazine
several thousand dollars to print
a positive profile about him.

The Photo & Profile was reportedly
published in the August 2006 issue. 

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Cindy Drooker of Ascot Realty contacted Gwinnett Daily Online to go on record, stating that she has formally instructed Harold A. Trip, Jr. to release funds belonging to and being held from a Gwinnett family for no apparent reason.

According to Ms. Drooker, Trip refuses to release the funds from an escrow account for no reason other than his attempt to keep as much of the money for himself as possible.  Ms. Drooker went on to describe the manner in which her allegedly former business partner regularly attempts to separate those he does business with from their money in what appears to be an unethical, immoral and quite possibly illegal manner. 

“He consistently makes it a point to hold the money of others for as long as possible, until the victim either agrees to accept a greatly discounted amount over the threat of possibly losing the money all together or having to wait indefinitely.  According to Ms. Drooker, Trip figures that sooner or later his victims will become so desperate for their money or grow so tired of waiting that they will agree to accept only pennies on the dollar to put the nightmare behind them.

Despite the fact that the contracts both parties enter into clearly call for Harold A. Trip, Jr. and Premier Planning and Development to pay the other party at some point, when the payment comes due, Tripp simply refuses to pay and forces those individuals or companies to have to sue him to get anything.  As we all know, lawsuits can be costly and time consuming - and Tripp apparently uses this to his advantage. 

While many would consider this behavior to be nothing short of theft, Tripp always makes sure that everything is done under the watchful eye of his attorneys who are ready to defend his behavior to no end, as long as they receive their cut of the proceeds.

Gwinnett Daily Online have every reason to believe that innocent unsuspecting individuals have fallen victim to Harold Tripp many times in the past.  Gwinnett Daily Online has only identified a few, but we invite anyone who feels that they have been taken advantage of by Harold A. Trip, Jr. or Premier Planning and Development in the past to contact us and we will do everything possible to bring the former acts of this alleged evil predator to light.

Contact Gwinnett Daily Online's Consumer Action Hotline at (866) 517-6500 at any time, day or night - and we will be here for you.

Ascot Realty of Buford refuses to pay for land they're developing on (GwinnettDailyOnline.com)


Lest readers of the Buzz think that I always side with the businessman or developer over the private individual, I bring to your attention the situation ongoing in Buford, GA. It seems that developer Ascot Realty has refused to satisfy a debt on land acquired for one of its residential developments. Surely there is a rational explanation for this, a reason that normally gets conveniently omitted from the opposition's side of the story. Well, this time, there seems to be no rational explanation. Ascot claims in a response to the article that it has parted ways with its partner in the development and that the partner is the one that owes the balance of the money to be paid to Paul Martin and family. While I do not know the exact legal structure of the agreement with the Martins, normally if two parties enter into a debt agreement, either party can be held responsible for the entire obligation. Apparently, this is the conclusion that Gwinnett Daily attorneys have reached in covering this story. Thus, Ascot's argument appears to be flimsy if not simply indefensible. Further damaging the company's credibility, Ascot claims not to be involved with The Park at Copper Trail development. Funny that the company name would be prominently displayed on the subdivision marketing sign or that the company would list the neighborhood on its web site if that were true.

I have long advocated limited government interference in business and allowing the free market to regulate. In this spirit, I feel the obligation to highlight the questionable actions of a company and help in informing the public so that they can make informed decisions on whether they wish to do business with Ascot Realty. Perhaps Ascot has some legal grounds on which they can ultimately defend their refusal to satisfy their obligation. Regardless, the question remains: if a developer is going to take such a stance with people from which it buys land - an absolutely necessary "supplier" for real estate development - then how will they treat an individual homeowner after a sale closes?
 

Reprint of Gwinnett Magazine's paid advertisement
which Harold Trip, Jr. paid several thousand dollars to have them publish
(according to several sources) :