USA Baby Furniture Franchise Under Fire
February 26, 2007 by Sean Kelly
Filed under Business
What is going on with USA BABY?
Disturbing news coming from several states’ Attorney Generals.
Article: King joins assault on embattled baby-store franchiser
Excerpt:
ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico attorney general Gary King looks set to go where his counterparts in Ohio and Florida have gone before.
King recently informed the attorneys for Albuquerque-based children’s-furniture retailer USA Baby and its parent company Midwest Baby that it may be trading in breach of the state’s Unfair Practices Act…The Act prevents companies from supplying less/fewer goods or services than customers have paid for…
Excerpt:
Late last year former Ohio attorney general Jim Petro filed suit against the owners of three USA Baby stores in the state’s northeast… The Ohio action, filed against the stores’ new owner Midwest Baby, its three principals and the three stores’ original owner, alleges more than 100 customers paid for furniture they never received. One of the stores, in Westlake, has since closed.
Several leading babyware companies have ceased shipping to Midwest Baby’s five USA Baby stores, according to Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Sheryl Harris. As well as the two Ohio stores in Sylvania and Cuyahoga Falls and the Albuquerque franchise, Midwest Baby also owns stores in Aurora, Colo. and Tampa, Fla.
Former Florida attorney general Charlie Crist launched an investigation last September into the Tampa USA Baby store after similar complaints that the store took payments for goods it never delivered. The manager of that store has since left the company in acrimony…
Are you familiar with USA BABY? Leave a comment and share your insights into this situation.
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There are a lot of things wrong with USA BABY: Poor service, rude associates, and delivery times that take longer than a full-term pregnancy for starters. Check out the people’s Web site at http://www.usababylouisville.com
Here’s our story:
We bought baby furniture, a crib, dresser, and changing table from USA Baby on March 22, 2008. It is the Simplicity Ellis Honey collection to be exact. We paid $768.00 for it and was told it would be in on April 18. Imagine how excited we are to have finally found our baby furniture. We are going to be first time parents and how lucky are we that we are able to buy brand new furniture for our baby girl. Well, April 18th comes and no call, so, I call USA BABY and they said that our furniture is on back order and it will be in on April 30 and they are very sorry that a manager didn’t call us.
April 30th comes and no call. We call them, no furniture. They got a piece in but the other pieces were the wrong color and they are shipping it from another store. It will definitely be there on May 23rd.
May 23rd comes and no call. We call them, again, no furniture. They apologize and say that there was a huge mix up and it will be there for sure on June 20.
June 20th comes, no call. My husband, personally went to the store to pick up the furniture since they said it will be there on the 20th. No furniture. They say the shipment didn’t come in and it will be there on the 30th. My husband said no, I just want my money returned. They claim they cannot return money without a manager’s approval. In the meantime, there is another couple with the same problem as us in the store. They ordered in April and nothing for them either. The lady behind the counter said that there is no manager on site ever and there is nothing she can do.
So- here we are, 8 months pregnant, no furniture, no $768.00.
I put in a report with the BBB, the attorney generals office, 13 action news, and Toledo 11 news. Hopefully we will get someone to help us. So- here I am asking my friends to please get the word out about USA Baby and what thieves they are. I hope they burn in hell for stealing money from young pregnant couples! Also, if you have anymore ideas of what we can do, I’ll gladly take any advice. Please forward to all who will listen.
Thanks!
Jon & Amanda
Here is there info:
USA Baby
5201 Monroe St
Toledo,OH 43623
(419) 841-9800
…I hope they burn in hell for stealing money from young pregnant couples!
Yow! Amanda, I hope that’s the hormones talking. I think you’ve got a legitimate complaint, but isn’t eternal damnation and the fires of hell a bit extreme? Plus, if you read through some of the other stories here and on http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com, there’s a long line for that particular punishment.
Here’s my advice:
1) Immediately cleanse yourself of angry thoughts and negative emotions. Your baby is getting those bad vibes and wondering what’s up with the upstairs neighbor. This is more important to your baby than new furniture. The best way to do that is to go immediately to Tony Packo’s and stuff yourself with hungarian sausage and spicy pickles. Make you husband buy you a case of pickles to go – you’re gonna need them.
2) Call your parents, siblings, etc. and pick up the family cribs and dressers that have bounced through either family. The less they match the better. Your baby will sleep and play in the aura of all the pleasant baby dreams of the generations.
We’ve raised 5 amazing kids and each has slept in the family cribs that are passed back and forth. I truly think that new baby furniture and nurseries that look like Good Housekeeping magazine ads are an abomination. Plus, the little buggers don’t appreciate it, so save your money to buy something that’ll shut them up later. You’ll need it.
3) Hopefully, you paid with a credit card. Always pay with a credit card. Call VISA or Mastercard and ask for their dispute department. Tell them what happened (leave out the hell, damnation, etc.) and request a chargeback. Be ready to furnish them with the letter you sent to the retailer cancelling the sale due to their inability to deliver the product, and the fact you’ve already made other arrangements. Include the dates of your previous attempts to get your money returned.
The credit card company will most likely issue you a credit on your account, and will charge back the retailer for the money. The retailer has the right to dispute it, but you’ve got the documentation and will prevail.
4) Accept this as a learning experience. If you didn’t pay with a credit card, it’ll be a big learning experience and you’ll need to learn about small claims court.
Another lesson is that you should have read Franchise Pick before making any purchase. This was posted in February. You bought in April. We tried to warn you, but no…
An important lesson is to use your BBB, Attorney General, news media complaints as leverage for what you want. Tell them if they contest you credit card claim, or if they don’t refund on deadline, you’re going to do all those things. If you’ve done them already, you’ve got no leverage.
Finally, accept this as a message from above that your baby doesn’t need new baby furniture… USA Baby just saved you $768 that could be better spent at Tony Packo’s enjoying the Cake Walkin’ Jass Band and chompin down dogs!