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Dec 18, 2007 10:34 pm US/Central
Dallas 'Going Out Of Business' Store Not Closing
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Update: New information added May 8, 2008. Read it at the bottom of this story.
There's a new twist on an age-old advertising tactic: the going-out-of-business sale. But this one does not sit well with the Better Business Bureau.
When you drive by and see the sign, you might assume the rug store is going out of business, but ask the owner and he'll say nothing of the kind.
Owner Cyrus Hassankola says he hopes the signs catch shopper's eyes and draw them inside. "I'm helping them to get a real deal, a real good quality, to much, much lower and better price than market price," he says.
According to Hassankola, business at the store on Preston and Royal is thriving. The signs that say "Going Out of Business" simple refer to the name of the store.
"We're selling our merchandise and the merchandise of those people who are going out of business or who are already gone out of business," Hassankola explained.
But the Better Business Bureau of Dallas doesn't appreciate his play on words. In fact, they call them deceptive. "He's used a business name and signs that imply he's going out of business, and he's not," said Jeannette Kopko, with the BBB of Dallas.
The Going Out of Business store now has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB. Officials there say they've asked Hassankola multiple times to change the name - but he's refused. "We don't do anything wrong," he claims.
Kopko says he has violated the BBB's code of advertising and possibly the state's deceptive trade practices act. "That's your name that's up there and it's drawing people in," Kopko explains. "It's unfair to use a name that's misleading or deceptive to the customers if other businesses are using names that are straight-forward and not misleading."
Hassankola says he understands the criticism - but isn't fazed by it. "Why should I be concerned? I have a lot of happy customers."
Ultimately, the fate of the name will lie in the hands of the Texas Attorney General. The BBB forwarded the case to the office today.May 8, 2008 Update:The store, formerly called "Going Out Of Business,"
is now renamed "Cyrus Rug Gallery." The owner changed the name after our story
aired and the Better Business Bureau called the name misleading. A spokesperson
for the Attorney General's office says the matter has been resolved.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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