Call Kurtis: Producer Shawn's Top Three Cases

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- This week we're taking a look at some of the top Call Kurtis stories of the year. When producer Shawn latches onto a business that's doing someone wrong, he doesn't let up until there's justice.

Here are three of his favorites.

"Don't touch the camera! Do not touch the camera. Ok. Do not touch the camera" Kurtis Ming authoritatively demands of a furniture salesman.

Things got tense when we brought our camera inside Signature Furniture Gallery in June.

We wanted to know why they hadn't fulfilled Kathy Floyd's order.

Months had passed and Signature Furniture still hadn't delivered her five-drawer chest.

"And I was like ok; I'll call Kurtis and see if he can help me… because they can't get away with this" she said of Signature's behavior.

Back to Signature Furniture where the salesman, who said his name was "Denny," claimed to have her piece in stock.

Kurtis asks "can you show it to me? Yeah. Great."

But Denny didn't like being followed by our camera.

He pushes our camera and that's when Kurtis admonished him: "Don't touch the camera. Do not touch the camera. Ok. Do not touch the camera."

We got them to deliver the chest, and got the state to open an investigation on them.

It wasn't long before Signature Furniture went out of business.

"Thank you Kurtis, good job" Kathy says as she laughs, enjoying her new five-drawer chest Signature Furniture had just delivered.

Then there was one of the many cases involving a mortgage modification.

"Well, obviously I'm really discouraged. Plus, you know, obviously, I got a little guy I'm taking care of."

Brian Hicks said while he was fighting to keep his house, to keep a roof over his son's head.

He was approved for a mortgage modification through his lender, Chase.

He jumped through all of their hoops.

Then months later, Chase suddenly changed its mind; and their reason of insufficient income didn't make any sense

"I said I don't understand," Brian said at the time. "They wouldn't give me an explanation of how my income was any different than when I was originally approved for it."

We worked with Chase, and had Brian meet with Mike Himes, a counselor at Sacramento Neighborworks Home Ownership Center.

Mike said "once we made that initial call and got things moving, Brian did it all on his own."

Chase sent Brian the final agreement, modifying his loan; he can keep the house.

Persistence by everyone involved paid off.

"I'd say just keep pushing. I mean if you really want your house, show them that you want it."

Finally, there was a months-long, undercover, multi-hidden camera investigation.

In September we confronted a northern California moving company accused of ripping-off numerous consumers.

Our hidden camera sting caught them in the act, at one point going so far as threatening our undercover producer; the mover said he was going to keep her household goods hostage if she didn't pay what they demanded.

Producer Brei said "...what, if I can't pay this today what do you guys do? I mean... We take your stuff..."

She asked "...And so basically they're gonna hold my stuff hostage?..."

It's a story very familiar to us and the state agency that regulates the moving industry.

When the public utilities commission refused to respond to our questions about why they appear to let rogue movers like this one off-the-hook with a slap on the wrist, producer Shawn crashed their public meeting.

Armed with an Apple iPad that was looping video of this moving company's unscrupulous behavior, Shawn said, in part, to the commission president "...considering I can't get anyone to comment on this, this video right here is that video I was telling you about."

Michael Peevey responded, in part, "...Mr. Clark, would you just talk to the gentleman for a minute or two outside? I appreciate it…"

"It's very difficult to keep up with folks who engage in that sort of activity but there are ways to do it," said Richard Clark, director of the PUC's Consumer Protection Division. "It's very resource intensive."

Our movers also refused to answer any of our questions but they were exposed for all to see.

Kurtis peppered the mover foreman and driver with questions: "...you got nothing to say? You just gonna take off down the road with all of our stuff?"

In fact they did drive-off with a truck-load of our belongings; we never saw them again.

The PUC says it is investigating the company, as do other law enforcement agencies around northern California.