The abrupt closure of Lewiston and Bath appliance retailer Gediman’s has left some customers in the lurch, but there are a few things the aggrieved can do to get what they are owed.
The customers in the best situation are those who paid by credit card. Martha Currier, manager of the Consumer Protection Division at the state attorney general’s office, said those customers can simply contact their credit card company to reverse the charge. Customers who paid with debit cards, cash or checks don’t have it so easy.
Currier suggested those customers get in touch with her office, as have dozens with questions about how to deal with unfulfilled appliance orders from the 80-year-old Maine retailer. As her office collects those complaints, the cases will be assigned to a mediator.
Currier said it takes about a month before a mediator will get in touch with a customer to confirm the details of his or her complaint and to try to work out a solution between the customer and business.
That means seeking out a way to deliver the purchased item or a refund.
Mediation is free. For customers owed less than $6,000, small claims court is an option, but securing a judgment against a company still leaves the challenge of actually collecting. And depending on the length of the docket in Maine District Court, that avenue could take just as long as mediation. It costs $50 to file and could cost more to make sure notice of the small claims lawsuit is delivered to the defendants.
Currier said it’s still unclear what happened with Gediman’s and that the closure has generated an unusually high level of interest from customers.
“We’re still at the very beginning stages of this,” Currier said. “It’s just frustrating and peculiar that this business with a really great track record has then closed up shop.”
The company hasn’t filed for bankruptcy and hasn’t responded to calls or emails from her office, customers or the media, she said.
If the company does file for bankruptcy, customers are among the last in line — unsecured creditors — to get their money back. After any secured debt, like that owed to banks or government entities, what’s left could go to those unsecured creditors.
Currier said the attorney general could also pursue an investigation of the situation.
As the situation sorts out, Currier said her office has so far received 10 formal complaints and dozens of calls about the store’s sudden closure, split evenly between customers of the Bath and Lewiston locations.
Affected customers can contact the Consumer Protection Division to ask about mediation or other options by phone at 1-800-436-2131 or by email at consumer.mediation@maine.gov.