CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -
Ohio Attorney
General Mike DeWine announced the filing of a lawsuit today against
Cleveland-based retailer Northeast Electronics, Inc. for multiple violations of
Ohio consumer law.
Northeast Electronics, operated
by sole proprietor Carl Chuppa III and located at 5746 Broadway Ave.,
Cleveland, Ohio, is an electronics retailer specializing in television sales
and repairs.
"The Ohio Attorney
General's Office and the Better Business Bureau of Cleveland have had a history
of problems with this company," Attorney General DeWine said.
"Typically, consumers pay about $280 for a TV that is never delivered or
make payments for TV repairs that they do not receive."
The Ohio Attorney General's
Office currently has 47 complaints against the business dating back to 2005. In
their complaints, consumers generally say they paid for televisions or
television repairs that they never received. In some cases, consumers said Mr.
Chuppa took advance payment for a television repair, picked up the television
from the consumer's home, and never returned it.
The Cleveland Better Business
Bureau (BBB) reports on its website that it received 63 complaints against the
business in the last three years. The BBB gives the company an "F"
rating.
In 2007, the Ohio Attorney
General's Office entered into an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with
Northeast Electronics and Mr. Chuppa. As part of the settlement, the business
agreed to clean up its practices and provide restitution to consumers who had
filed complaints with the Ohio Attorney General's Office. It also promised to
resolve unpaid judgments from private consumer lawsuits. (Currently, there are
at least 11 unpaid judgments against Northeast Electronics and/or Carl Chuppa
III.)
Mr. Chuppa failed to live up to
the terms of the prior agreement, necessitating this enforcement action by the
Ohio Attorney General.
The Attorney General's lawsuit
charges Northeast Electronics and Mr. Chuppa with multiple violations of Ohio's
Consumer Sales Practices Act, including failure to deliver, failure to perform
repair services, failure to provide or honor warranties, and failure to pay
consumer judgments. The lawsuit seeks consumer restitution, injunctive relief,
and civil penalties.
Attorney General DeWine thanked
the BBB of Cleveland for its role in the case and reminded consumers to
research companies with the Ohio Attorney General's Office and BBB before doing
business with them.
Consumers who believe they have
been treated unfairly should file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General's
Office at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov
or 800-282-0515.
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