Attorney General Chris Carr is encouraging Georgia servicemembers and veterans who were deceived and defrauded by Harris Jewelry to request a refund by Dec. 21, 2024, by visiting the retailer’s website here.
A federal court recently found that Harris Jewelry violated a prior settlement agreement by prematurely closing its claims portal. The court subsequently ordered that the portal be reopened.
This means that active duty servicemembers and veterans who purchased items from Harris Jewelry, paid for a Lifetime Jewelry and Watch Protection Plan, and have yet to file a claim – or who previously filed a claim but have not yet heard back from the retailer – are able to submit refund requests until the Dec. 21, 2024, deadline.
An estimated 3,780 Georgia servicemembers and veterans were misled and defrauded by the jewelry retailer, with the majority of those individuals stationed at Fort Moore in Columbus.
“Thousands of Georgia’s servicemembers and veterans fell victim to Harris Jewelry’s deceptive acts, and we want to ensure they receive the financial relief they’re rightfully owed,” said Carr. “We won’t allow anyone to take advantage of our military families, and we encourage all Georgians who are eligible to submit their refund requests as soon as possible.”
In 2022, Carr announced that the State of Georgia had joined a $34.2 million multistate settlement agreement to resolve allegations that Harris Jewelry had deceived and defrauded more than 46,000 U.S. servicemembers and veterans nationwide.
Specifically, the settlement agreement contains allegations that Harris Jewelry:
- Made false or unsubstantiated claims that financing jewelry purchases through the company would result in higher credit scores;
- Misrepresented that the protection plan was required to finance purchases;
- Failed to provide written disclosures and meet authorization requirements for contracts as required by law; and
- Violated the Military Lending Act.
The agreement required Harris Jewelry to stop collecting $21,307,229 in outstanding debt held by 13,426 servicemembers; to provide up to $12,872,493 in refunds to 46,204 servicemembers who paid for protection plans; and to vacate judgments against 112 consumers totaling $115,335.64 and delete any negative credit entries reported to consumer reporting agencies.
Military Consumer Protection Guide
The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division offers the Georgia Military Consumer Protection Guide to help active and former servicemembers better understand their rights as consumers and how to protect themselves from common scams. Georgians can download the guide here.
The guide covers a range of topics, including buying a car, housing and renter’s rights, insurance, the Military Lending Act, budgeting and personal finance, debt collection, identity theft, scams and fraud, and the GI Bill.
Georgia servicemembers who think they may have fallen victim to a scam or deceptive business practices may contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling (404) 651-8600 or file a complaint online here.
