“The store with the best deals on cheap mattresses, beds and sofas in Palma.” This is how La Tienda 3B’s, a commercial establishment dedicated to the sale of furniture and decoration, was promoted until a few weeks ago. One day, suddenly, he lowered the blinds without further explanation. What started as a temporary closure “for family reasons” became permanent, leaving behind more than 100 customers who had paid a total of more than 100,000 euros for furniture that never arrived. Today, the owners are under investigation for alleged ongoing fraud.
Three weeks ago, the Economic and Technological Crime Group of the National Police arrested the company’s administrator, Julia L., following numerous complaints she began receiving from dozens of people who claimed to have paid certain amounts for the furniture they owned. bought in the two stores that 3B’s owned in Palma and which they never received. A total of 116 complaints have been filed so far by different affected parties, claiming that they placed their orders several months ago and they were never delivered.
Two weeks later, agents arrested the owner’s son, Francisco Manuel M., who, according to testimony collected throughout the investigation, was responsible for the money brought in by customers. According to the investigation, the person concerned maintained the commercial activity of selling furniture for several months, allegedly knowing that he would not be able to respect the commitments he had made to each of the buyers, from whom he also demanded payment of a deposit for reservation per order. Furniture that, as a business manager, he knew would not be delivered, because the manufacturers had already withdrawn their trust for non-payment and would not advance orders without prior payment.
Losses of more than 100,000 euros
Investigators estimate that the injured paid a total of 85,000 euros, although, given that part of the purchases had been financed by banking entities, the losses could exceed 100,000 euros. Some of those affected by the alleged 3B scam – whose legal name is Draquer Gestiona – are waiting for the funding to be cancelled. elDiario.es tried to contact the owners of the company and their defense, but did not receive a response.
Esher del Peral is one of the people affected by the events and a member of the platform that the affected people decided to launch to protest non-payments. “In our case, my husband and I went to buy a sofa at the 3B’s store on Aragó Street in May. As it was a custom product, they told us it would take around 60 days to be ready. No problem. We finance it through them. But after 60 days, no one had told us anything. We decided to wait a little longer, as there could still be a problem at the factory and they could be delayed. August started and that’s when we called. They told us there had been a problem at the factory and it wasn’t ready yet. But we waited another week and went to the store, but the girl who served us was not there,” Del Peral said.
Apparently the person who initially helped them was on vacation so they spoke with the owner’s son who is currently under investigation. “He told us that ‘well, everyone’s on vacation in August.’ We got it. He told us: “Don’t worry, I’ll immediately email the factory so they can send it to Palma. Next week, you will have it at home,’” explains the woman concerned. However, two weeks passed without anyone communicating with them. When they returned to the store, they came across a sign that read “Closed for Holidays” and indicated that they would reopen the store on September 15th.
“Closed for family reasons”
When they returned to the establishment on the 16th, they found that the blinds were still drawn. This time, with another sign: “Closed due to family problems”. They started asking around in nearby stores and no one knew anything. “But they left us with the fly behind our ears, because everything was very strange,” he adds. It was by consulting an acquaintance who also works in mattresses that he immediately called on her to file a complaint. “They are trying to sell all the products they have left in the stores and they will take your money,” he told them. Del Peral started looking on Facebook, where another acquaintance posted that she had been scammed at the store three times. When he contacted her, he found that several people were already in a similar situation. And that’s where it all started.
Those affected formed a group, and within a week there were nearly 100 members. They began putting up signs in stores, calling and emailing the company. But no one answered. “They were completely missing,” Esther emphasizes. It was then that they joined forces and together began to file joint complaints with the national police and consumer complaints. “At first we had to explain to the officers what had happened. Then you just had to show the store slip three times and they would only ask for your personal information because they already knew the story,” he says.
Demonstration in front of the store doors
The climax came on September 28, when dozens of people affected by the alleged scam protested outside the gates of La Tienda 3B. Among posters displaying slogans such as “No more lies”, “Solutions now” or “Without sofas or money, there is no well-being”, the demonstrators demanded the return of their money or the delivery of furniture they had paid for. “We tried to talk to them for mediation and it came down to lie after lie. And recently they started telling us that our appearance on television had done them a lot of harm,” says Del Peral, who explains that he had two meetings with the owners and tried to organize a third with their lawyer: “But They are dragging our feet and now “he doesn’t even answer us anymore”.
In the case of Teresa, another of those affected, she says that on July 2 she bought a sofa for 1,500 euros: “We were expecting it at the end of September and, when we saw the store closed, I filed a complaint to the National Police, which was the reference for all others. “I also decided to create the platform.” This woman claims that, as in other cases, she and her husband have already had their funding canceled and their money returned, but they continue on the platform “because there are many people who paid in cash or by transfer and have no way of getting your money back.
Alongside buyers, many manufacturers and distributors are waiting to invoice the denounced company due to the advance of orders placed since the beginning of this year, the figure of which could amount to around 400,000 euros. The General Directorate of Consumer Affairs of the Balearic Government has issued a statement in which, among other aspects, it recommends that customers who have purchased from 3B keep all documents such as invoice, order, proof of payment or contract financing. . If the purchase was financed by a consumer loan offered by the establishment and linked to the purchase, Consumption calls on the people concerned to contact the financial institution to inform it of the closure of the activity, request the suspension of the issuance of receipts and the restitution of the part of the financing paid in accordance with the provisions of Law 16/2011 of June 24 relating to consumer credit contracts.
In the meantime, the Economic Crime Group continues its investigations with the aim of determining the existence of a larger number of people concerned and does not rule out further arrests.
