A Southfield lawyer suggests a way to stop monthly warranty payments owed on furniture from Art Van, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday.
Attorney Ken Gross of Thav Gross writes in an email:
If you used your Art Van charge – with Synchrony Bank and have not paid the credit card in full, under the Card Member Agreement, you need to provide Synchrony with a “Notice of Dissatisfaction of Goods Purchased.” As I read the Agreement, if the purchase was made in your home state, using your Synchrony card and you have not fully paid for the purchase, you are entitled to a refund.
Understand, I’m not guarantying this will work, but here is what you should do:
Send Synchrony Bank a certified letter, return receipt requested.
Mail it to: Synchrony Bank, P.O. Box 965035, Orlando, FL 32896-5035Include in the letter a copy of the Invoice when you purchased the Extended Warranty and a copy of your most recent statement.
Indicate in the letter, “the purchase was made in Michigan, I used my Synchrony credit card for the purchase and I have not fully paid for the balance, and I’m dissatisfied with the purchase of the warranty since it will not be honored by Art Van.”
Gross adds: "I recently purchased a nice couch with an Extended Warranty that ran $700. I typically don’t buy these warranties, but in this instance, the couch was material (not leather) and with the dog – well go figure."
"If you used a different credit card, you should look at what remedies they offer under their Card Member Agreement. There may be relief, Assuming no one steps up and buys the chain and resumes the Art Van brand, I don’t see any other viable remedies."