Cuomo
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has secured $250,000 in restitution after hundreds of customers were allegedly ripped off when a local bridal center shop closed unexpectedly.
Fearing bankruptcy, Queens Bridal Center, Inc., Queens Bridal Center of New York, Inc., Q-PID Corp. and Majestic Bridal Center, Inc., shut down all of its operations without informing customers who had already paid for wedding packages consisting of photos and video services, Cuomo said.
Even though the companies had shut their doors, marketing calls and service sales continued.
"This is a story of wedding dreams turned into a planning nightmare," Cuomo said.
"This company promised wedding photos, videos and other services, but ended up taking thousands of dollars from couples who were left scrambling to get photos and albums of their special day. Even on the day they closed down, they continued to deceive customers who paid for their services."
After the company formally declared bankruptcy in 2007, owners continued to solicit new business, requiring customers to pay hundreds of dollars up front and then the company never followed through with the services, according to Cuomo.
Around 550 customers had paid for services they never saw at the time of the company going bankrupt.
Under the terms of the agreement, Queens Bridal Center must pay $250,000 in restitution, as well as $75,000 in legal fees and penalties to the state and $25,000 to the trustee for the now-bankrupt business.
Queens Bridal Center and its members are banned permanently from providing wedding photography and video services unless they pay a $100,000 bond with the Attorney General's Office.