OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Michigan's Corporate Oversight Division has secured $20,000 in reimbursements for Oakland County residents and business owners who did not receive the snow-plowing services they paid for this winter.
The payments are part of a settlement agreement with Five Star Landscaping and Snow Removal and its owner. The agreement resolves issues raised by Attorney General Bill Schuette in a cease-and-desist letter last month in which Schuette’s Office said it intended to file a lawsuit.
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The Corporate Oversight Division anticipates sending out claim forms to the more than 60 consumers that filed complaints about Five Star. These claim forms will help the attorney general’s staff determine the appropriate amount of all settlement disbursements.
"I am very pleased we are able to start putting money back into consumers’ pockets," Schuette said. "My office will work hard to make sure this company does a better job of scraping together payments than it did on driveways."
In the settlement filed Thursday, Five Star agreed to make several improvements to its operation for next winter. Although it had more than 800 customers this winter, it may not have more than 500 next winter and must assign fewer customers to each subcontractor and plow truck. Five Star’s compliance with these measures will be monitored by the Corporate Oversight Division through documents that Bolin must provide early in the next snow-plowing season. If there is evidence of any future violations of the Consumer Protection Act, then Schuette will bring a lawsuit to permanently stop them from undertaking snow-plowing services.
Five Star and Bolin do not admit to any violations of the law and entered the agreement to resolve the dispute and avoid the threatened lawsuit. Payments to consumers will be made over the next several months as Five Star and Bolin make installment payments to the attorney general.