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AG Office to Investigate Team Fitzgerald for Alleged Consumer Protection Violations
January 25, 2021
LANSING – Due to a high volume of consumer complaints, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office will investigate a Tecumseh-based hunting and outdoors company for its failure to fulfill customers’ purchases of products and services, among other violations of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCPA).
The Attorney General’s office also sent a cease-and-desist letter today to Team Fitzgerald Marketing, which is operated by a father-and-son duo, Dan and Guy Fitzgerald. Team Fitzgerald sells hunting equipment and goods, along with offering guided hunting trips. The Fitzgeralds are also known for their television program, “Team Fitzgerald Vintage Country Lifestyle.”
More than 70 complaints have been filed against the company with the Attorney General’s office and the Better Business Bureau over the past year that focus on the company’s failure to:
- Ship purchased products to consumers in a timely fashion, if at all;
- Deliver guided hunts and services as advertised and expected by consumers;
- Satisfy contractual obligations after accepting payment from businesses seeking sponsorships; and
- Properly address customer requests for refunds. Customers have reported seeking refunds from the company, but those requests were met with silence, subterfuge or hostility, as Team Fitzgerald allegedly blocked the consumers’ email addresses, phone numbers or social media accounts.
In at least one instance, a consumer also reported being threatened with legal action by the company’s attorney after the consumer contacted the Attorney General’s office.
“The Michigan Consumer Protection Act provides this office with the tools and authority to pursue reimbursements and other corrective action on behalf of consumers who have been taken advantage of, including legal action if necessary,” Nessel said. “Numerous complaints have been made about this company and its failure to deliver on costly hunting-related trips and products sold to consumers and businesses, and my office will aggressively seek justice as we determine the full extent of any wrongdoing.”
The business may choose to enter into an assurance of voluntary compliance (AVC) with the State. An AVC is a tool provided for in the MCPA that allows consumer protection disputes to be settled outside of court.
The Attorney General’s office may seek subpoenas to further its investigation, requiring the business to provide sales data, financial reports and other information.
Filing a complaint online is the best way to provide a comprehensive report to the Attorney General’s office and ensure investigators have the information they need. If a consumer is unable to fill out an online complaint, they can call the toll-free Consumer Protection hotline at 877-765-8388 and staff will provide a hard copy form to fill out and return.
Forms may also be returned via fax (517-241-3771) or via U.S. mail, by sending to:
Consumer Protection
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
Click here to view a copy of the cease-and-desist letter sent to Team Fitzgerald Marketing.
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