Bad Boy customers looking for their furniture at the south-end Barrie store left without a leg to stand on Sunday.
An Industry Canada document, dated Nov. 9, says Bad Boy Furniture Warehouse has made the decision to commence restructuring procedures by filing a notice of intent (NOI) under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.
According to a notice one customer provided to BarrieToday, the company says it was a "very difficult decision."
"The decision to commence these proceedings was taken after much deliberation," says the notice. "However, Bad Boy believed it was necessary in the context of a challenging economic environment driven by high interest rates, declining sales in the housing sector and a tight retail climate, particularly in the home furnishing sector."
Several customers were at the Caplan Avenue store on Sunday looking for answers, or their furniture.
“All the people are here to collect their purchases that they’ve already paid for and were told it was OK to come and pick up,” said Barrie resident Jack Holbrook. “Then we come to pick it up and find out that there’s nothing to pick up.”
Holbrook said he’d paid about $600 for a bed for his grandson.
“So it looks like we’re out whatever money we put down for a bedroom and the other people they’re out for whatever they had purchased,” he added.
Bad Boy sent a message to its customers which reads: “Customers of Bad Boy may have placed deposits for future delivery of furniture and/or appliances. We regret to inform you that as a result of the commencement of the NOI proceedings, Bad Boy is unable to refund those deposits or to complete those purchases.”
Two Barrie police cruisers arrived at Lastman’s Bad Boy store, located near Mapleview Drive West and Highway 400, early Sunday afternoon after being called by one irate customer.
Dennis Barbeau is from Sudbury and said he came to Bad Boy to shop for furniture a month ago; he purchased a sofa. The dining room table and chairs he wanted weren’t in stock, so he ordered them and was told he’d be notified when they came in, which happened a week ago.
“I drove from Sudbury to Barrie, rented a room, stayed overnight,” he said. “Sunday morning I’m here to come pick up my furniture. They will not release my furniture, even though it’s paid in full and they told me it was here.”
Barbeau said he’d paid almost $700 for the dining room set and more than $400 for the trip to Barrie from Sudbury, including a hotel room.
He said he was told to contact his credit card company to get his money back, and if he wanted his furniture Bad Boy would sell it to him again for the same price.
“I said, ‘I’m not doing that,'” he said. “Because if the credit card company just says no, they’re not giving me back my money, now I’m going to be paying twice for the same table and chairs?”
Holbrook said he got the same advice from Bad Boy about a credit card refund.
Holbrook said he’s shopped at Bad Boy numerous times before.
“My wife has the text from them, to come and pick our bedroom set,” he said. “She called (Saturday) to confirm it and they said nope. This is how all this started, this is how we found out. We weren’t notified at all.”
A call by BarrieToday to the sales manager and general manager at the local Bad Boy store on Sunday was referred to head office in Toronto.
