THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro has sued the operators of a now-closed Hilliard hot-tub retailer.
Petro's suit against Christian J. Kuehl and Michael J. Gentry says their business, the Hot Tub Store, violated the state's Consumer Sales Practices Act by accepting money for products that were never delivered.
The store, formerly located at 3670 Parkway Lane, Suite A, closed in July.
The business "continued to accept deposits from consumers after failing to honor previous orders, which is an unconscionable act under the (law)," Petro said in a news release.
His office received more than 20 complaints from people who paid the Hot Tub Store "for products they never received," Petro said.
Neither Kuehl nor Gentry could be reached yesterday.
According to the store's Web site yesterday, its management, several customers and other dealers are "seeking legal action against Dynasty Spas for reasons too complicated to post on this site."
Dynasty was the store's distributor.
A July 10 letter posted on the Web site said Dynasty stopped filling orders when the store had difficulty renewing its credit line.
Petro's suit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, seeks full refunds for customers and civil penalties of $25,000 per violation to be assessed against Kuehl and Gentry.
Consumers can file a complaint with Petro's office at
www.ag.state.oh.us or by calling 1-800-282-0515 and asking for a claim form.
kstammen@dispatch.com
