Other LanguagesSEATTLE – A defunct business that sold magazines on eBay agreed to refund consumers who never received their orders, under a settlement announced today by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna.
The Attorney General’s Office sued Cheapest-Magz, which formerly operated in Bremerton then California, and its owners Wilmyr Dagohoy and Eireen Ejem-Dagohoy, in October 2007, alleging that their practices violated the state Consumer Protection Act.
The defendants auctioned off subscriptions to magazines. According to the state’s complaint, thousands of consumers, including hundreds of Washington residents, paid Cheapest-Magz anywhere from $5 to several hundred dollars for subscriptions to publications such as Newsweek, Computer Shopper, Oprah, Golf Digest, Wired, TV Guide, Sporting News, Muscle and Fitness and Details.
“A promise to deliver is a promise to deliver,” McKenna said. “Whether that promise is the result of winning a small bid on eBay or a substantial purchase from a brick-and-mortar business, the sale should be honored.”
The company is no longer doing business. The settlement prohibits the defendants from advertising, selling, auctioning or marketing magazines in the future to Washington residents, and also prohibits them from failing to deliver any products they sell.
They will pay nearly $3,600 in refunds to consumers, a nearly $1,400 civil penalty and $10,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs.
Consumers who have lost money to Cheapest-Magz will be contacted in the next 40 days and sent a check for the amount of their purchase. Consumers who have questions about the settlement should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Resource Center at 1-800-551-4636 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays.
DOCUMENTS:
CheapestMagz Consent Decree
CheapestMagz Complaint
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Media Contacts: Paula Selis, Senior Counsel, (206) 464-7662
Kristin Alexander, Media Relations Manager, (206) 464-6432