Grant's Customers May Be Able to Recoup Money After Business Closing: Attorney General

By Shannon Antinori (Patch Staff)

Customers who never received their appliances and electronics may be able to get their money back from Grant’s, the Illinois Attorney General said last week.

The Joliet-based company closed all of its locations abruptly last month — and some customers claim they never received items they purchased from the 90-year-old chain. Customers who went to Joliet store were greeted with a sign saying “temporarily closed for inventory,” although the five stores — in Joliet, Aurora, Downers Grove, Aurora and Merrillville, Indiana — appear to be closed for good.

A spokeswoman for the Illinois Attorney General’s office said Grant’s is entering into an assignment, similar to bankruptcy, and customers will be able to file a claim to recover the money they lost, the Herald-News reported. Under an assignment for benefit of creditors, a company transfers property or assets to an assignee, who distributes them to pay off debts,according to the paper.

The attorney general’s office had received nearly 40 complaints from Grant’s customers as of last week. According to the Herald-News, the attorney general’s office is sending letters to customers explaining how they can file a claim to get their money back.

In addition to customers who have filed lawsuits against the company, lender Summitbridge Credit Investments IV LLC alleges that Grant’s and its owners have failed to make $10 million in mortgage payments.