A website that markets toys and collectible figurines will stop selling online for five years after the Department of Attorney General threatened action, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday.
Last month, the Department issued a Notice of Intended Action (NIA) against Planetary Toys, LLC d/b/a Treasure Trove Toys for allegedly violating Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) collected nearly 90 complaints against the business – ranging from purchased items never being shipped or shipped items not matching what was advertised – and has been working to resolve issues for consumers.
This week, the Department entered an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance and Discontinuance, filed in Ingham County Circuit Court, with the business and its primary operator, Jon Furdek.
Planetary Toys agreed to:
• Stop selling toys and collectibles online for a period of five years.
• Going forward, only operate businesses under names properly registered with the State of Michigan.
• Resolve all outstanding complaints with consumers that did not receive items ordered or that were sent the wrong item by issuing full refunds.
• Pay the State of Michigan $1,000 to compensate for investigation costs.
The terms must be met by February 21.
“I’m pleased to see this agreement reached without my office having to take additional legal action against Planetary Toys,” Nessel said. “I appreciate the work our partners at the BBB are doing to help affected customers. We will continue to advocate on behalf of Michigan consumers.”
“The Better Business Bureau continues to work with the company to resolve consumer complaints. We are glad to see an agreement has been reached that will ensure all affected customers receive refunds rightfully owed,” President and CEO of the BBB Serving Western Michigan Lisa Frohnapfel said. “This is another great example of how the marketplace is being served by the longstanding partnership between the BBB and the Michigan Attorney General’s office.”
There are countless online individuals and small businesses using websites to re-sell products purchased online. Some of these re-sellers have the goods shipped to themselves, then they send them along to the buyer. And others use drop shipping—where they simply order the product from a third party that then ships directly to the buyer.
While such businesses are legal, consumers need to understand they are paying more, and problems can arise. This is especially true now when re-sellers who take advance orders, or drop shippers who rely upon another entity’s promises, are experiencing the same supply chain problems as the rest of us.
Before conrumers buy, they should:
• Research the product and the seller.
• Do an online image search of the product and any other images the seller has posted to see where the product is coming from, how much it really costs, and who else is selling it.
• Compare prices for the same or similar products from other sellers.
Consumer complaints can be filed online at the attorney general’s website at www.michigan.gov/ag. Anyone with questions can call 877-765-8388.
