A $902,508 judgment has been entered in Maricopa County Superior Court against Matthew Willes and his companies for deceiving Arizonans by leaving fake “missed delivery” slips on consumers’ doors that caused consumers to contact the companies and unknowingly provide them with their personal information and consent to receive telephone solicitations.
Willes’ companies include: Valley Delivery LLC, My Home Services LLC, Next Day Delivery LLC, and Next Day Holdings LLC.
According to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Valley Delivery and Next Day Delivery distributed thousands of “Sorry We Missed You” slips to Arizonans that directed the consumer to call a number to reschedule a supposed delivery. When consumers called the companies, however, there were no shipped packages to be delivered. Instead, the companies collected consumers’ personal information, tricked consumers into consenting to receive further solicitations, and then sold the information to third-party companies that inundated the consumers with telemarketing calls.
In 2020, the Attorney General’s Office filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against the companies and its owners. After years of litigation, the court entered a default judgment against Willes and his companies. The judgment prohibits the defendants from engaging in this type of business in the future.
The judgment found that the defendants engaged in deceptive and unfair acts and practices, including:
The judgment requires Willes and his companies to pay $727,247 as civil penalties and $175,261 as costs and attorneys’ fees for their willful violation of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act.