Catalog Shopping
American Mint, LLCFind BBB Accredited Businesses in Catalog Shopping.
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Important information
- Pending Government Action:Government Action: BBB reports on known government actions involving business’ marketplace conduct:Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. American Mint, LLC
The following describes a pending government action that has been formally brought by a government agency but has not yet been resolved. We are providing a summary of the government's allegations, which have not yet been proven.
On May 5, 2021, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) announced the filing of a lawsuit against this firm for allegedly violating the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. The lawsuit accuses the business of engaging in the use of unfair, fraudulent, and/or deceptive business practices by failing to clearly and conspicuously disclose the materials terms and conditions of its negative option features, and failing to seek or obtain consumers’ expressed informed consent to enroll in a continuous sales program.
Specifically, the suit alleges the business entices consumers into ordering a free or introductory offer and continues to send additional, unordered merchandise without having the consumer affirmatively and knowingly consent to receive additional items by misleading consumers into a negative option feature, where they provide further products that consumers must purchase or return. The suit further alleges the business uses deceptive and unfair methods in its print and website advertisements by engaging in tactics purposefully designed to mislead and confuse by using a bold heading containing “Satisfaction Guarantee” to obscure important information, written in a significantly smaller font, which automatically enrolls consumers into a subscription plan for future merchandise if they do not cross out the “Satisfaction Guarantee” box.
According to the BCP, in some cases, the business failed to provide the merchandise yet sent invoices and collection notices to the consumers. The BCP also claimed that although some consumers opted out of the negative option feature, the company sent the additional items anyway in an attempt to collect monies for the unsolicited items.
The complaint is seeking a permanent injunction against the defendants from continuing to engage in any deceptive or illegal business practices, civil penalties of $1,000 for each violation of the state’s consumer protection law and $3,000 for each violation involving a consumer age 60 or older, as well full restitution and costs of the investigation.
For more information on this action, contact the BCP by calling 717-787-3391, or visit http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.
Business Details
- BBB File Opened:
- 5/14/1999
- Business Started:
- 3/1/1998
- Business Started Locally:
- 5/28/1999
- Business Incorporated:
- 1/1/1999
- Type of Entity:
- Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- Related Businesses:
- U.S. Longevity Institute
- Business Management:
- Dr. Michael Goede, Owner
- Mr. Frank Koeffler, VP
Additional Contact Information
- Principal Contacts
- Dr. Michael Goede, Owner
- Mr. Frank Koeffler, VP
- Customer Contacts
- Dr. Michael Goede, Owner
- Mr. Frank Koeffler, VP
- Fax numbers
- Primary Fax: (717) 458-9217
Additional Information
- Referral Assistance
- Pennsylvania Attorney General-Harrisburg
Strawberry Square 14th Floor
Harrisburg PA 17120
Phone Number: 717-787-9707
Fax Number: 717-787-1190
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov - Business Categories
- Catalog Shopping, Online Shopping, Collectibles
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