Customer claims Columbus Halloween company fails to deliver
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A central Ohio business, now the center of multiple NBC4 Investigates stories, is accused of withholding thousands of dollars from a customer claiming it never received the items it ordered.
A Texas restaurant and a Utah ski resort ordered Halloween animatronics, then said they were “ghosted” by the owner of ScareFactory, a Columbus-based business.
The ski resort did get its order, with a shipping date marked just one day after we first called ScareFactory.
The Texas restaurant NBC4 Investigates spoke with said it still has not received a refund, despite the owner of The ScareFactory telling NBC4 that he issued one. He never provided proof of the refund and now is not responding to our emails or texts, something the Texas restaurant says happened to them, too
Now, the Texas restaurant is reaching out to NBC4 Investigates again, saying they just want a refund for their $8,000.
The restaurant has reached out to Ohio’s attorney general and joined the list of others who’ve done the same. Like others, they gave an online review noting their experience of placing and paying for an order and never getting it.
Since the NBC4 story aired, the restaurant’s management has emailed the owner again, and no response.
They’ve successfully served the owner, David Fachman, with a settlement demand and are filing a report with police in Texas, where they are based, to pursue criminal action.
"This is not how we expected the Halloween season to go,” Sabrina Herrera, who works for the restaurant, said. “So we did still do a lot of decor. We did a specialty drink menu for kids and adults. So we're still just really trying to focus on the good because we figured that's all that we can do.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office sent the following statement:
"Consumers who suspect unfair or deceptive business practices are encouraged to contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.ohioprotects.org or 800-282-0515. Consumer complaints are handled by our Consumer Protection Section, which assists consumers through an informal dispute resolution process. Often, consumers and businesses resolve issues independently, but the AGO is here to help when needed."
Yost’s office did not say if it was investigating The ScareFactory at this time.