What is the name of your state?KY
I am asking this on behalf of my brother. He used to buy arcade games, juke boxes, and pinball machines for resell. He did business with a company in Florida who sold arcade games quite a bit. He spoke by telephone with the man at this FL company one day in early Feb. 2003, about a specific upright cabinet which encased two separate games. (I can't recall the names of the games).
Anyway, this guy told my brother that he could build the games he was interested in for a certain price. My brother was very interested until the man told him these games couldn't be resold. The only way money could have been made off of them would have been to set them up in arcade rooms, bowling alleys, etc, for the public to play as coin-ops. The man further stated that Namco, the actual maker of the game software, did not license this particular machine. (This is the reason they couldn't be resold. They would have been bootleg machines). My brother told him then he wasn't interested as his intentions were resell if purchased.
He thought that was that and he had no further dealings with this company because of it's selling of illegal bootleg items.
The next thing you know, in late Feb., and March, 2003, he received his American Express statements with charges totaling $11,650, dated between late Feb. and March 17, 2003, from this FL company. He called the arcade company first and the man was screaming at him, stating he had ordered the games and he would have to pay for them. My brother said he didn't order them and he had no use for illegal games, and they went back and forth arguing. (This company had his credit card # on file because of previous purchases).
To try to cut this short, my brother immediately filed a dispute with American Express. It was denied. He never authorized the charges nor did he ever receive the games. Not even one of them. Over the course of 2003, he filed four different disputes with American Express. AE had, during that time, denied his use of the card, stating he had went over his limit. This action, in short, caused him to quit this business entirely. Since January 2004, he hasn't heard another word and hasn't received another statement from American Express. He assumed they finally accepted his disputing the bill and probably just closed his account entirely. He was wrong. He received a summons the other day. AE is suing him for the entire amount + interest.
What can he do? He did not authorize the charges, nor did he receive any goods. Does he need to retain an attorney?
He has his records where he disputed the charges. Thank you in advance for any advice.
I am asking this on behalf of my brother. He used to buy arcade games, juke boxes, and pinball machines for resell. He did business with a company in Florida who sold arcade games quite a bit. He spoke by telephone with the man at this FL company one day in early Feb. 2003, about a specific upright cabinet which encased two separate games. (I can't recall the names of the games).
Anyway, this guy told my brother that he could build the games he was interested in for a certain price. My brother was very interested until the man told him these games couldn't be resold. The only way money could have been made off of them would have been to set them up in arcade rooms, bowling alleys, etc, for the public to play as coin-ops. The man further stated that Namco, the actual maker of the game software, did not license this particular machine. (This is the reason they couldn't be resold. They would have been bootleg machines). My brother told him then he wasn't interested as his intentions were resell if purchased.
He thought that was that and he had no further dealings with this company because of it's selling of illegal bootleg items.
The next thing you know, in late Feb., and March, 2003, he received his American Express statements with charges totaling $11,650, dated between late Feb. and March 17, 2003, from this FL company. He called the arcade company first and the man was screaming at him, stating he had ordered the games and he would have to pay for them. My brother said he didn't order them and he had no use for illegal games, and they went back and forth arguing. (This company had his credit card # on file because of previous purchases).
To try to cut this short, my brother immediately filed a dispute with American Express. It was denied. He never authorized the charges nor did he ever receive the games. Not even one of them. Over the course of 2003, he filed four different disputes with American Express. AE had, during that time, denied his use of the card, stating he had went over his limit. This action, in short, caused him to quit this business entirely. Since January 2004, he hasn't heard another word and hasn't received another statement from American Express. He assumed they finally accepted his disputing the bill and probably just closed his account entirely. He was wrong. He received a summons the other day. AE is suing him for the entire amount + interest.
What can he do? He did not authorize the charges, nor did he receive any goods. Does he need to retain an attorney?
He has his records where he disputed the charges. Thank you in advance for any advice.