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LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Hundreds of people have complained to the Better Business Bureau after purchasing a blanket online from a company traced to Lakewood.
Customers say the blankets are way smaller than advertised, took weeks to ship and were not the handcrafted quality as advertised.
Contact7 showed people the blanket compared to the pictures on Sky Bound Trading Co.’s website.
"It’s the worst quality I have ever seen in my life and this isn't a blanket, it's not even a shall," Jennifer Lynch commented.
"You keep it. Give me my money back. I don't know what you would do with this," Traca Celevens added.
The BBB received hundreds of complaints and opened an investigation. The small company, Sky Bound Trading Co., had skyrocketed to No. 15 on their complaints list. Unusual for a company of its size.
The BBB learned the company had undergone three name changes: Starting as Free Earth Trading, then Fat Sun Trading and currently Sky Bound Trading Co.
When investigators purchased a blanket they say it didn’t arrive for weeks, contacting the company was difficult, the blanket was way smaller than the listed dimensions and it was not handmade.
“One of the reasons they said why our order was taking so long is that each product is hand crafted and made to order which we really doubt,” BBB Investigations Coordinator Ezra Coopersmith said.
The BBB says the company would get an F rating simply for poor customer service, not to mention false advertising and misleading terms and conditions.
Contact7 tried to contact Skybound Trading Co. and went to the address the company has been registering their websites with. The address is a home in a residential neighborhood in Lakewood and when we knocked, no one was home. We also reached out to the company through their website - no response there either.
"That is criminal. I am beyond shocked. It's terrible; it's something my 8-year-old would make,” Lynch said.
The BBB says there are a few things consumers can do to protect themselves, like using a credit card to pay for online shopping. Also, if you see one of those fake clocks counting down the end of a sale like on the Skybound Trading website - run.
"That is a psychological tool that scammers will use or sketchy businesses (will use) because it makes you think, 'Oh my God, I can't take this time to look up this product, I have to purchase it now,'” Coopersmith said.
Customers who purchased one of these blankets are unlikely to get a refund. Everything on the website is on sale. Skybound Trading Co. does not offer refunds or returns for items on sale.
