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From Home Furnishing Business

Ohio AG Sues Furniture Store

October 27, 2014  by in Furniture Retailing, Industry, Legal   

According to the lawsuit, Best Buy has operated a store-closing sale since April, nearly twice as long as state law permits. In Ohio, a “distress sale” cannot last longer than 90 days.

“Running a deceptive store closing sale is unfair to consumers and honest businesses,” DeWine said. “It gives the impression that the seller is offering rock-bottom prices for a limited time only, and in this case, that just wasn’t true.”

Best Buy Furniture & Mattress is a registered trade name of Deals and Steals Furniture LLC, which is owned by Steve Museitif of Dublin. Best Buy Furniture & Mattress has no relation to Best Buy Co.

DeWine’s lawsuit charges Deals and Steals Furniture and Steve Museitif, individually and doing business as Best Buy Furniture & Mattress, with violating Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act, specifically the Distress Sale Rule.

Under the Distress Sale Rule, sellers may not advertise or conduct a distress sale for more than 90 days (45 days plus an optional 45-day extension, which must be clearly disclosed). They also must include a distress sale’s start and end dates in advertisements, and they may not supplement or add to their inventory after beginning the sale.

In the lawsuit, the Attorney General seeks an end to the deceptive practices, reimbursement to any consumers found to have been damaged by the defendant’s actions, and civil penalties.

DeWine thanked the Better Business Bureau of Cincinnati for its assistance in the case.