Deputies Seize Merchandise From Outdoor Retailer After Complaints Stack Up
By Mark Ackerman
FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4) – The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about a trail of complaints following a Colorado outdoor retailer. The retail store and website, 123Mountain, has been accused of cheating customers and businesses out of thousands of dollars.
Last week, Summit County Sheriff's deputies swarmed the 123Mountain store in Frisco. With help from a locksmith, they entered the store, then videotaped and seized thousands of dollars-worth of high end ski equipment and cash. The operation took 12 hours to fill a rental truck with expensive skis, boots and gloves.
"We'll keep that merchandise safe and secure once we inventory and catalog it," said Summit County Sheriff spokesperson Taneil Ilano.
It was the first time Summit County has seized merchandise from a retail store in more than a decade.
The action follows three years of complaints against the owners of 123Mountain, Olivier and Anna Sofia Goumas, who previously operated stores in Frisco, Lakewood and Copper Mountain.
Denver attorney Jay Philp bought skis from the 123 Mountain store in Frisco, but decided to return them before he took them out of the wrapper.
"I have a product in my hand, it's not the product I wanted," said Philp who tried to return the skis numerous times and found the store closed on busy ski weekends. When he finally found the store open the owners refused to accept the return, even though the return policy stated on the company's website "Not stoked about your gear? No problem."
Then Philp did some research online and found a lot of negative reviews.
"It was mortifying," he said, "Because at that point I knew I had a problem."
The Better Business Bureau gives 123Mountain an F rating -- they've received approximately 100 complaints over the past three years.
Pam King, the President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau for Northern Colorado and Wyoming, calls the complaints "excessive." King said initially 123 Mountain responded to complaints, but has recently stopped, which she called "concerning."
She said most of the complaints against 123Mountain have come from shoppers on its website.
"People are telling us they don't get the product they are ordering or they get the wrong product," she said.
In some cases the problems have resulted in police reports. Steve Davis, spokesman for the Lakewood Police Department, has opened more than a dozen cases from customers all over the world, including a woman in Switzerland who never received her $700 jacket to an $87,000 order for sleeping bags which went unfulfilled for the Korean government.
"It's a business deal that we all agree that one end of the deal didn't live up to expectations," said Davis. "But, there's a line between civil and criminal cases."
Davis said his department has forwarded its cases to the Colorado Attorney General, where spokesperson Roger Hudson said "The Attorney General is looking at them and evaluating them."
After failing to answer phone calls or return emails, CBS4 went looking for the owners of 123Mountain and found Olivier Goumas boxing up any merchandise not seized by the Sheriff. Instead of answering questions, the people inside covered the windows.
Eviction proceedings are underway to remove the Goumases from the Frisco store. The items seized will likely be sold at auction to help repay debtors.
As for Jay Philp, his credit card company finally refunded the money for his skis, only after his wife sent them a 27 page packet of Internet complaints against the company.
Mark Ackerman is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. Follow him on Twitter @ackermanmark
