Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is currently investigating Harris Jewelry (also known as Harris Originals) for deceptively promoting and unlawfully operating a credit service called “the Harris Program.” Harris Jewelry operates stores near military installations and primarily caters to active duty servicemembers, with in-store merchandise matched to the local branch. Harris employees use this merchandise as a tool to get servicemembers in the door, a practice called “prospecting.” After getting to know the prospect, employees will refer them to a presentation booklet touting the benefits of the Harris Program, which encourages servicemen to purchase expensive jewelry items on credit, with more expensive items marketed as an opportunity to maximize the amount of credit extended. Indeed, the Harris Program is sold to servicemembers as an opportunity to enhance or repair their credit and serves as the crux of Harris’s business model.
Harris recently reached a settlement agreement with Tennessee’s Office of Attorney General regarding the operation of the Harris Program, assenting to various settlement terms, including an $800,000 debt relief and refund payout to all consumers who made purchases at their location in Clarksville, TN. In a press release, the Attorney General’s Office called the Harris Program’s payment plans “convoluted,” and said advertised prices “bore little resemblance to the amount paid at the end of the financing contract.” Moreover, they allege that Harris never properly registered as a credit services business nor met the myriad requirements involved in doing so. Harris Jewelry operates approximately 20 locations nationwide, any of which may be responsible for similar violations and unlawful damages incurred by servicemembers. Similar claims abound regarding Harris’s predatory warranty and protection plan programs as well.
Are you a Harris Jewelry customer who has participated in the Harris Program or a similar warranty/ protection plan?
If so, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.
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The lawyers at Migliaccio & Rathod LLP have years of experience in class action litigation against large corporations, including in cases involving unfair and deceptive trade practices. More information about our current cases and investigations is available on our blog.