Yosef’s business model relies on drawing in customers who think that they are talking to a local home service business. He has created a large number of business listings on Google Maps; they list an address and phone number, but don’t actually exist at the address. Sometimes the address will turn out to be a vacant unit in a strip mall, sometimes it’s another organisation who know nothing about the Yosef-run business which is allegedly present there.
We have identified several hundred of these fake businesses, spread across just a few states. This suggests that PHS has set up literally thousands of them to pull in “customers”.
HB Heating and Cooling
This seems like it may be the original Bernath business, set up by the father Howard Bernath (HB). However, it appears to have been pulled into the Premium Home Service family. The father appears to be a genuine tradesman, with the Facebook page claiming that they’ve been in business since 1973. Howard now works occasionally teaching HVAC.
Their Facebook page has minimal activity, with nothing posted since 2015. There are just 2 reviews, both 1-star, one of which refers to “being scammed” in 2021.
On the first call, the lady who answered denied having any connection to Premium Home Service. However, when we called back later from a different number the phone was answered by a gentleman who introduced himself as “Dre”. It wasn’t long before he was presenting us with subscription options for a company by the name of, you guessed it, “Premium Home Service”.
J&J Services
J&J Services is a tricky company to track down. When Premium Home Service processes a payment, certain automatic emails are sent. The payment receipt lists itself as coming from “support@jandjservices.freshdesk.com” – however, Freshdesk has confirmed that J&J services are not a customer, meaning that these emails appear to be spoofed.
The business was registered in Colorado in April 2020, through a “Registered Agent” service which can be used to conceal the identity of those involved. The address used for the registration was Yosef’s parents’ address in Chicago, however.
The business is listed as a “Foreign Limited Liability Company”. The name on the filing for this is “Matthew Lee Stone”. Interestingly, a “Travis Stone” is listed as the account holder on the ReadySign account used to send PHS’s electronic agreement.
Tropicool Heating and Air Conditioning
Tropicool Heating and Air Conditioning is registered at Yosef’s address. It’s listed as a trading name of J & J Service Professionals LLC.
Best GDR LLC (also known as Best Online Marketing)
Best Online Marketing INC. is registered in Washington State as a Foreign Profit Corporation, with Yosef’s Chicago address as the mailing address. Like J&J, it uses a Registered Agent, which can conceal the name of the owner. Documents also list it as having connections to Delaware. Best GDR is the entity which the income from Premium Home Services is funneled.
Ron’s Plumbing and Rodding, Illinois
Ron’s Plumbing and Rodding is another business with Yosef Bernath listed as the owner. Only one review can be found on their Better Business Bureau page, but needless to say, it’s not a good one and contains the same complaints of money paid and no work done as the rest of Yosef’s businesses.
Horton Electrical, Texas
Horton Electrical is marked on Google Maps as being in Sugar Land, Houston, Texas. As with all of the fake businesses so far, no website is listed. The address shown is a 7-unit strip mall, none of which are an electrical business. The staff at the businesses in the strip have never heard of Horton.
The five-star reviews for the business on Google are fake. They are all left by accounts who have only a couple of reviews to their name, written at the same time, and with no activity before or after. Three of the supposed customers (Clifford, Alex and Shawn) left 5 star reviews for both Horton, and a spa trading as “Spenga”, on the very same day – quite a coincidence! One account, in the name of “Vincenzo”, had left only two reviews; both on the same day, both 5 star – one for Horton, and one for “Ray’s Electrical Services”, another PHS fake business located all the way up in Michigan. It’s really bad luck that he had two electrical emergencies on the same day on opposite ends of the country. Tellingly, all the reviews described in this paragraph have been removed since they were documented on this site.
This pattern of fake reviews is the same across all of the fake businesses linked to PHS.
Ray’s Electrical Services, Michigan
We found Ray’s Electrical Services through the fake reviews, as mentioned above. When we placed a phone call to them to set up an appointment, we were offered a $149 annual subscription to none other than Premium Home Service. As with Yosef’s other businesses, there is no “Ray’s Electrical” at the published address; in this case, the closest businesses are a bank and a daycare.
Mitus businesses, Massachusetts
There are two Mitus businesses listed close to each other in Waltham, MA; Mitus Emergency Plumbing, and Mitus Emergency Heating and Air. Both of the businesses have fake addresses, and link back to Premium Home Service when the phone number is called.
The phone at Mitus business was answered by “William”, a gentleman with an American accent who gave a convincing impression of not realising he was involved in anything shady. He did however try to sell us a Premium Home Service subscription. It would be strange if he had never questioned why his business address was listed as a Moose Lodge.
Grand Electrical Company, Wisconsin
This faked business was the subject of an investigation by Fox 6 news in March of 2022. They came across Premium Home Service, although didn’t untangle the full web of businesses. On the occasion mentioned, a technician did turn up but performed work that was defective and not up to code. The company did have a basic website, now defunct, listing 5 business addresses; Fox 6 visited all, and all were fake. Representing your business from a fake address is illegal in Wisconsin. Fox 6 did manage to reach people giving their names as “Phil Davis” and “Ryan White” at PHS, but did not receive any useful information.
Grand Electrical is currently the subject of an investigation by Wisconsin’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Martin Garage Door Inc
Led by Yosef’s friend Matan Dahan, this business is reported as following the same operating model, with the same complaints, as PHS in general. A complaint site specific to Matan has been set up by persons unconnected with this site.
Power Garage Door Repairs Inc.
Registered in North Houston, Texas, this company is associated with the same address that Yosef’s close friend Nasanal Center lives at.
Others
There are many other fake businesses, in the thousands, out there on Google in the same fashion as those mentioned above. If you have been misled through a seemingly local business into having dealings with Premium Home Service, please do reach out.
Noticing some patterns on Google, we have been able to identify a large number of fake businesses that redirect to PHS. The below are a selection. There are a number of massage businesses which are apparently connected to Yosef’s sister. It is no secret that shady massage businesses are often active in certain illicit activities.
- To see fake businesses in Canada click here.
- To see fake businesses in the USA (Alabama through Delaware) click here.
- To see fake businesses in the USA (Florida through Illinois) click here.
- To see fake businesses in the USA (Indiana through Minnesota) click here.
- To see fake businesses in the USA (Missouri through South Carolina) click here.
- To see fake businesses in the USA (Tennessee through Wisconsin) click here.