A Colorado electronics repair shop has filed more than 85 lawsuits against customers — but they’re fighting back

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A Colorado electronics repair shop has filed more than 85 lawsuits against customers — but they’re fighting back

How many times have you skimmed over a contract before accepting the terms and conditions? Most people don’t have the time or patience to read them in full, but it may be time to start paying more attention.

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reported that Acme Revival, an electronics repair shop in Denver, filed more than 85 lawsuits against customers over “device abandonment.”

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While the company has settled with dozens of customers, dozens more have had their cases heard in Jefferson County court. And one customer has counter-sued in a New Jersey court, alleging fraudulent business practices.

“Well, I will first say that these aren’t customers. Customers pay,” Logan Beck, Acme Revival’s CEO, told Denver7 Investigates, claiming that 30% to 40% of customers were delinquent on payments. “It’s called Acme Revival. We’re trying to revive electronics, not dispose of them.”

Some customers, however, have a different point of view. Florida resident Glenn Weber sent a pair of $300 binoculars to Acme Revival for repair and racked up a $5,000 ‘storage’ fee.

“I said ‘I’m not going to pay them. This is insane,’” he told Denver7 Investigates Florida.

Here’s why the business is clashing with so many of its customers.

Why is Acme Revival suing its customers?

So what exactly is device abandonment?

In a

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last October, Acme Revival allegedly said an alarming number of customers decided, after receiving their diagnostic and repair quote, that they didn’t want to pay for or pick up their device.

This has turned the company’s repair facilities into “unintended electronic wastelands,” according to the release. It says many of these devices are classified as hazardous waste, while others contain personal data that needs to be purged.

Customers sued by Acme Revival feel differently. Weber, for example, told Denver7 Investigates Florida that since the repairs on his binoculars were unsuccessful, he told the company in an email they could give them away.

But after a 15-day grace *******, Acme Revival started charging Weber $25 a day in storage fees. In September, the company filed a claim against Weber with his outstanding balance nearing $5,000.

These fees troubled many other customers, too. On Jan. 31, Denver7 Investigates

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that Jefferson County Judge Keith Goman had dismissed 47 cases against out-of-state defendants. While he said the court doesn’t have jurisdiction in these cases, he also called the storage fee “unconscionable,” particularly since the fees quickly exceed the value of the devices being repaired.

The company’s attorney, Anthony Garcia, told Denver7 Investigates that Acme Revival will probably appeal the cases in district court.

And after receiving dozens of similar complaints from customers, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) initially gave Acme Revival an “F” rating, though the company is currently “Not Rated” as it responds to customers complaints, some of which aren’t related to storage fees.

Read more: Home prices in America could fly through the roof in 2025 —

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Be careful with agreements

Acme Revival has defended its actions by saying the storage fee policy is outlined in the first email that gets sent out to customers and that they agreed to the terms of service. We don’t know the specifics of the placement or language of the email or terms of service, but generally, most people don’t read the fine print — and that’s often by design.

One study by

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analyzed customer agreements on 100 major websites and found that the fine print on these contracts had an average of 10,835 words and took an average of 54 minutes to read. In addition, some of those contracts used jargon considered “very difficult” based on the Flesch Reading Ease Formula.

Indeed, the

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(CFPB) has recognized this issue by proposing a new rule to stop companies from using contract clauses that erode Americans’ rights by “slipping clauses into take-it-or-leave-it contracts that seek an unfair leg up by attempting to deny individuals the benefits of a free market.”

And according to a 2017

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, a whopping 91% of American consumers accept legal terms and conditions without reading them.

So, before agreeing to any terms of service — even something as seemingly innocuous as repairing your binoculars — you may want to take a closer look. Keep an eye out for any hidden fees or sneaky charges, and look for red flags such as overly complicated language or jargon.

It could be worth searching for customer reviews (while keeping in mind that reviews are subjective), as well as checking out the company’s Better Business Bureau rating. For larger contracts, you may even want a lawyer to go over the contract before singing on the dotted line.

After you sign a contract, or even just start doing business with a company, keep all receipts and a record of all communications with the company (such as email correspondence). In some instances, the wording may be such that you are agreeing to the terms by simply continuing to do business with someone. It’s also worth familiarizing yourself with

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laws so you have an idea of your rights as a consumer.

So, if a company takes extreme measures such as suing you for breach of contract over a ‘storage’ fee, you’ll be in a better position to fight back.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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