The company closed some locations in December, while others continued to operate, including one on Kemper Road in Springdale, Hamilton County.
However, on Jan. 9, it announced it will soon begin liquidating all remaining stores.
What can customers do?
When a business closes or files for bankruptcy, customers who already paid for goods or services could be left empty-handed.
But in some cases, there are steps consumers can take to try to get their money back.
The filing, however, left some customers, such as Jen and Rick Housner, without the furniture they ordered.
“We started to kind of wonder where the furniture was,” Jen Housner said.
The couple learned their orders were canceled and said the store they ordered from would not provide a refund.
“At that point, I was like, we are not seeing this money back,” said Rick Housner.
Attorney Danny Karon, who founded the platform "Your Lovable Lawyer," said customers do have options when a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“This is a Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a reorganization ... and that means you have some possible remedies available,” Karon said.
Steps to recover your money
A customer’s first step should be calling the company to see if it can remedy the situation with available stock.
“Maybe there’s something they needn’t order, but they have on the floor. They can give it to you right off the floor. That could solve the problem,” Karon said.
If that doesn’t work, file a claim with the bankruptcy court.
“Now you’ve got to get to the bankruptcy court’s website, file your claim, get the claim date, because you’re what’s called an unsecured creditor,” Karon said.
He warns the process takes time and doesn’t guarantee you’ll get all your money back.
“But the only certainty is in doing nothing. You’ll get for sure nothing back if you don’t file a claim,” he said.
The third step is calling your credit card company.
“Ask for a charge back to dispute the charge because you didn’t get your product, and you didn’t get your money back,” Karon said.
Company response
WCPO reached out to American Signature, where an agent simply directed it to the "What’s Next" page on Value City Furniture’s website.
On the site, the company states, “We are doing our best to fulfill customer orders for products that are currently in stock.”
It goes on to say, “If we are unable to fulfill an order that a customer placed a deposit for, they may be able to file a claim.”
Customers can file a claim on America Signature’s Chapter 11 case website.
The Housners worry that process could take months or even years to resolve.
“To look at that and say we’ve lost almost $2,000 is definitely a struggle,” Jen Housner said.
There’s no way to predict when a store will close, which is why customers should always keep receipts and other important documents.
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