A follow-up tonight to an exclusive "Eye Out for You" investigation we brought you last month involving a Bakersfield furniture store.

Last week, the Kern county District Attorney's office filed a civil lawsuit against "Royalty Furniture" on Ming Avenue alleging "unlawful, unfair and fraudulent business practices."

The lawsuit, which asks for close to 200-thousand dollars in penalties and restitution, alleges the practices have occurred for the past four years.

As "Eyewitness News" documented, several consumers complained that "Royalty Furniture" and owner Juan Rios, either did not deliver furniture paid for, delivered the wrong furniture and, or, failed to pay small claims judgements won by those who filed complaints in court.

The DA's office alleges the furniture store "experienced severe cash flow problems," owing an estimated 20-thousand dollars to a furniture distributor.

Now, if you have a complaint against "Royalty Furniture," the District Attorney's office says it is still interested in talking to you.

The number you can call is 868--2331...or you can email the DA's Fraud Services Unit by going to our website..."Eye Out For You.com. Just click on "infolink in the left hand navigation and look for the D.A.'s Office.



Original Story:

:"FRANKLY, HE'S A WEASEL. HE'S A WEASEL. HE WON'T OWN UP TO HIS WRONGDOINGS."

JAMILLA CANO IS MORE THAN UPSET...SHE'S FIGHTING MAD.

JAMILLA CANO\CUSTOMER : "HE'S GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER. I'M SURE IF HE'S DOING IT TO ME, HE'S DOING IT TO MANY OTHER PEOPLE."

IN MAY OF LAST YEAR...CANO CAME TO "ROYALTY FURNITURE" ON MING AVENUE IN BAKERSFIELD...ORDERING A BEDROOM SET.
BY AUGUST..SHE HADNT RECIEVED A THING....AND TOLD OWNER JUAN RIOS HER MONTHLY PAYMENTS WOULD STOP.

KURT: "AND YOU HAD TO MAKE THE PAYMENTS? (JAMILLA) YES. HE KEPT TELLING ME I WAS GOING TO GET IT...DONT WORRY ABOUT IT. ITS COMING, ITS COMING AND I NEVER GOT IT.

INSTEAD, SHE GOT A LATE PAYMENT ENTRY ON HER CREDIT REPORT.
THAT'S UNTIL, SHE SAYS, THE STORE OFFERED A DEAL: RE-DO THE CONTRACT, THE BAD CREDIT TO BE ERASED...AND SIGN OFF ON A DIFFERENT BEDROOM SET, ONE SHE REALLY DIDNT WANT.

JAMILLA CANO "I GUESS BECAUSE OF THE TIME I ALREADY INVESTED. IT WAS MORE THAN THE TIME I INVESTED. I HAD ALREADY MADE PAYMENTS. HE HAD MY MONEY."

FINALLY, THREE MONTHS AFTER HER INITIAL VISIT, THIS DRESSER AND TWO NIGHTSIDE TABLES ARRIVED AT HER HOME.

KURT: "BUT THAT SAME DAY JAMILLA RECIEVED HER BEDROOM SET, SHE NOTICED SOMETHING INSIDE A COUPLE DRAWERS, CRAYON MARKS."

JAMILLA CANO: "I SAID IT LOOKS LIKE ITS A USED SET. HIS SALES CLERK SAID ITS PROBABLY THE REPOSSESSED SET WE PICKED-UP.

BUT THERE'S MORE...THE ARMOIRE INCLUDED IN HER SET?...MISSING.
BECAUSE OF THAT, SHE STOPPED PAYMENTS AGAIN...AND ONCE MORE, WAS REPORTED TO THE CREDIT BUREAU.

( KURT: "AS IT TURNS OUT, JAMILLA CANO'S HUNCH WAS RIGHT.
SHE'S JUST ONE OF SEVERAL DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMERS WE FOUND WHO DID BUSINESS WITH ROYALTY FURNITURE."

SINCE OCTOBER 2003, WE UNCOVERED SIX SMALL CLAIMS LAWSUITS...FILED AGAINST THE STORE.
AND IN EVERY CASE,, THE JUDGE SIDED WITH THE PLANTIFF...ACCUSING ROYALTY FURNITURE OF NOT DELIVERING FURNITURE PAID FOR ...OR DELIVERING THE WRONG MERCHANDISE."


PATRICIA BONNER: :"HE TOOK MY MONEY AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK."

PATRICIA BONNER IS ONE OF THOSE WHO SUED ROYALTY FURNITURE...FOR A LOVE SEAT, NEVER DELIVERED.

PATRICIA BONNER\CUSTOMER: "I SHOULD HAVE GOT MY FURNITURE FIRST, SEEN MY FURNITURE, THEN PAID HIM."

BONNER SAYS SHE PAID IN FULL FOR THE LOVESEAT AND THIS GREEN RECLINER...WHICH SHE ORIGINALLY ORDERED AS BLUE.
BUT FRUSTRATED, SHE TOOK IT ANYWAYS BECAUSE SHE FEARED SHE WOULD END UP WITH NOTHING.

PATRICIA BONNER: "MONTHS WENT BY...(KURT SAYS) 'MONTHS, HOW MANY MONTHS?' WELL, THERE WAS ABOUT TWO MONTHS AND I GOT TIRED AND SAID, HOW LONG IS THIS FURNITURE SUPPOSED TO BE COMING FROM L-A.?"

THAT WAS NEARLY TWO YEARS AGO.
BONNER SUED FOR $600, WON A JUDGMENT IN COURT...BUT NEVER RECEIVED A DIME.

CARMEN AVILA\CUSTOMER: "YOU PAY FOR YOUR FURNITURE AND CAN'T TAKE YOUR FURNITURE.")

CARMEN AVILA ALSO WENT TO ROYALTY FURNITURE...SAYING SHE PAID CASH FOR A BED SIMILIAR TO THIS ONE FOR SON, EDUARDO.

CARMEN AVILA: " THE OWNER SAY, HE CAN'T GIVE THE MONEY BACK."

THAT WAS NOVEMBER 2004.
SHE ALSO SUED ROYALTY FURNITURE, WINNING A $425 JUDGMENT.

CARMEN "THE JUDGE SAYS YOU WIN THE CASE, BUT I NEVER GET MY MONEY."

OTHERS DIDN'T EITHER...INCLUDING A $33-HUNDRED DOLLAR JUDGMENT INVOLVING THIS SOFA SET.
AND ROYALTY FURNITURE'S TRACK RECORD WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU?
FOR FURNITURE STORES, IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE WORST.
SINCE JULY 2003...43 COMPLAINTS...INCLUDING PROBLEMS WITH DELIVERY..SERVICE AND REFUND OR EXCHANGE ISSUES.
AND SINCE MAY OF LAST YEAR, WHEN OWNER JUAN RIOS SAYS HE PURCHASED THE STORE FROM HIS FATHER-IN-LAW...22 COMPLAINTS.
WHILE SEVERAL CASES ARE RESOLVED, SEVERAL OTHERS UNRESOLVED OR COMPLAINTS, UNANSWERED.

CONNIE ALARCON/BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU:" IF YOU READ A RELIABILITY REPORT THAT INDICATES THAT THEY HAVE UNANSWERED COMPLAINTS OR THEY'RE NOT RESOLVING ANY MARKET PLACE DISPUTES THAT ARE BROUGHT TO THEIR ATTENTION THAT KIND OF PUTS A RED FLAG UP FOR YOU TO BE A WISE CONSUMER."

JUAN RIOS\OWNER, ROYALTY FURNITURE : "I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING WRONG TO ANY OF THEM."

OWNER JUAN RIOS SAYS BEFORE HE PURCHASED THE STORE, HE WORKED THERE OFF AND ON FOR THREE YEARS IN BOOKEEPING, CREDIT APPROVAL AND COLLECTIONS.
HE SAYS THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AGAINST HIM ARE SMALL WHEN CONSIDERING THE 280 CUSTOMERS THE STORE DEALS WITH EACH MONTH.

JUAN RIOS: "I STARTED THIS BUSINESS AND I HAVE NOT WALKED AWAY FROM ANYBODY OR TRIED TO DISTURB SOMEBODY OR TAKEN THE MONEY FROM THEM AT ALL."

IN THE CASE OF JAMILLA CANO, THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINING OF MISSING AN ARMOIRE WHO STOPPED MAKING PAYMENTS, RIOS SAYS SHE HAD SEVERAL LATE PAYMENTS TO BEGIN WITH ON HER FIRST PURCHASE, THIS SOFA SET.

: JUAN RIOS\ROYALTY FURNITURE: "SO DECEMBER TIL NOW, SHE HAS NOT MADE ONE PAYMENT. THE EXCUSE OF NOT PAYING BECAUSE OF THE T-V ARMOIRE BASICALLY WE TOLD HER, WE'LL GIVE YOU A REFUND, CREDIT ON YOUR ACCOUNT FOR THE T-V ARMOIRE BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND YOUR HAVING A HARD TIME FINANCIALLY."

AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE CRAYON MARKS IN THE DRAWERS?

JUAN RIOS/ROYALTY FURNITURE: "WHEN WE OPENED-UP THE BOXES, THERE WAS NO SCRATCHES, MARKS OR ANYTHING IN IT."

AND HOW ABOUT PATRICIA BONNER AND HER MISSING LOVESEAT?


JUAN RIOS\ROYALTY FURN. "EVERYTIME MY EMPLOYEES WILL CALL HER TO MAKE THE DELIVERY, EITHER SHE WAS ON VACATION, SHE LEFT TOWN OR SHE'S NOT AVAILABLE."

FINALLY, IN THE CASE OF CARMEN AVILA...

:JUAN RIOS\ROYALTY FURN. : "ON CARMEN AVILA, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, AND BY TALKING TO THE CUSTOMER, IN OUR SYSTEM, WE CAN NOT FIND IT ANYWHERE."

AS FOR THE COURT JUDGMENTS AGAINST HIM...THE DAY AFTER EYEWITNESS NEWS FIRST SPOKE TO RIOS BY PHONE, HE SAYS HE WENT TO THE COURTHOUSE, PULLED THE CASES AND PAID THEM ALL OFF.
IN FACT, HE SHOWED US RECIEPTS AND WE CONFIRMED THE PAYOFFS WITH CUSTOMERS DETAILED IN THIS STORY.
SO, WHY PAY NOW?
RIOS SAYS HE WASN'T AWARE OF THE JUDGMENTS..
SUITS WERE FILED AGAINST THE NAME "ROYALTY FURNITURE DESIGNS, INCORPORATED"...A COMPANY HE SAYS, HE PLANNED ON OPENING, BUT DIDN'T.

JUAN RIOS\ROYALTY FURN. : "YEAH, THEY'RE SUING ME, BUT THEY'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT."

BUT COMPLAINING CUSTOMERS TOLD US, THEY SHOULDN'T HAD TO SUE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

PATRICIA BONNER: "NOW, I'M ON T-V AND I WANT HIM TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING HE DONE PUT ME THRU. HE PUT ME THRU A LOT."

ON THE DAY, WE INTERVIEWED OWNER JUAN RIOS, HE ATTEMPTED TO CLEAR-UP EVERY BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU COMPLAINT HE HAD, BEFORE WE GOT THERE.
WE UNDERSTAND, HE'S STILL IN THE PROCESS AND WE HOPE HE SUCCEEDS.
WE SHOULD ALSO MENTION HE HAS CREDITED JAMILA CANO FOR HER MISSING ARMOIRE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, CANO SAYS SHE RECENTLY RECEIVED A LETTER THREATENING LEGAL ACTION BY THE STORE.
BOTTOM LINE, KNOW WHAT YOUR CONTRACT SAYS WHEN YOU SIGN IT.
IN THE CASE OF ROYALTY FURNITURE, SOME CONTRACTS SPECIFY, "STORE DOES NOT HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER DELAY IN DELIVERY OF SPECIAL ORDER PRODUCTS...ALL SALES ARE FINAL AND NO REFUNDS."
THE STORE SAYS SOME ITEMS TAKE MONTHS TO COME IN BECAUSE ITS QUOTE, "A HOT ITEM, " MANUFACTURED IN COUNTRIES LIKE CHINA OR MALAYSIA.
THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU ADDS, IF A SALESPERSON MAKES ANY VERBAL PROMISES, MAKE SURE THEY BACK IT UP BY PUTTING IT DOWN IN WRITING.
AND THEY STRESS, CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE FOR ANY COMPLAINTS, BEFORE YOU BUY.
WE'VE PUT A LINK TO THE "B-B-B" ON OUR WEBSITE, "EYE OUT FOR YOU-DOT-COM," AS WELL AS A LINK TO THE "BUREAU OF HOME FURNISHINGS AND THERMAL INSULATION," THE STATE AGENCY THAT LICENSES FURNITURE STORES.