MAACS Uniforms` review: Bad service! 128

ABU order placed in Dec 07. As of Aug 08, I have received Pants, T-Shirts, and Patrol Cap. They still owe me Shirts (ABU Tops Sewn), Gortex, and Socks. It was a $700.00 order, and has been the worst business transaction I have ever been involved in. Thier customer service is the worst seen to date. If you are fortunate enough to get a reply via email, it is a complete lie. Their customer service ticket system is only there to keep you from filling up their email inbox. The tickets are not addressed and deleted after time. Their voicemail is useless. I have never received a call back from anyone after numerous request. I am interested in pursuing criminal and civil charges against the company owners. GSA should immediately pull any existing contracts, Maine AG should indict immediately, customers should file immediately, and any shoppers should run away immediately. Allison, you're a FRAUD. Your husband is a FRAUD. The rest of your staff are either ignorant to what is going on, or they're FRAUDS too.

I am in the same boat. I ordered in early Nov 07, and have been actively trying to get a refund for two months. Emails and phone calls are no longer returned, and I haven't seen a dime of the money they owe me. This company is a fraud.

It appears by the list of complaints, our money is gone.

Myself and the Commander here had the same problem with MAACS. We both ordered ABUs Oct 07 and have yet to see anything. Numerous emails and phone calls have gotten us nowhere. We initially received responses and were promised our refund in Feb, Mar, Apr 08. Nothing to this date still. This company has the worst customer service I have ever dealt with in my 20 years in the service. I agree with all the above. Absolutely do not buy from MAACS, ever! We are both out over $180.00

I placed my order in Nov 07 and to this date still have not recieved a refund. I have contacted them numerous times to get the same story of "the check is in the mail" as everyone else has gotten. I have been telling everyone that I meet not to order from them and I am complaining to every organization I can. I'm not sure it will help get my money back but it makes me feel better about it..

To all: We must keep the posts and the communication going if we are to beat MAACs. Everyone here are all posting under the circumstances but if we are to meet our objective and get back what they took from us because we are obviously not getting our uniform items, we need to make sure that we exhaust every avenue i.e. BBB, FTC, Maine Attorney Gen, your local attorney gen, then onto Capt Jake Kremmel USAF. for those who have access to the global please look him up and contact him as soon as possible. Keep the fight going! Im NOT lettuing them walk with my money! Strength in numbers!

TO ALL-WE HAVE ALL HAD THE SAME UNFORTUNATE DEALINGS WITH MAACS. BBB CANNOT HELP BECAUSE MAACS WILL COUNTER WITH FRAUDULENT LIES IN THEIR REBUTTAL, I URGE YOU TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE FTC, THE MAINE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S MEDIATION SERVICE, AIR FORCE TIMES (TAKE OUT YOUR OWN ADD IF YOU HAVE TO) AND PURSUE LEGAL ACTION TO OBTAIN YOUR MONEY AND HAVE ALL LEGAL FEES PAID FOR BY MAACS. THEY NEED TO GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK! I AM GOING OT MAKE IT MY MISSION TO INFORM ALL ABOUT THIS SO CALLED COMPANY AND TO GET THEIR BUSINESS CLOSED FOR GOOD BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY-EVEN IF THEY END UP BANKRUPT FROM HAVING TO PAY EVERYONE'S LEGAL FEES. THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY CANNOT TAKE PEOPLE'S MONEY AND NOT REFUND IT WHEN PROMISED! PURSUE, PURSUE, PURSUE!

MAACS INC is probably the absolute worse company I have ever had the privalage to deal with. The best thing that could ever come out of this entire situation is that Allison get a very long prison sentence for her knowingly stealing from hard working serving troops. Allison just remember what goes around comes around. You should be ashamed for the way you have cheated and stolen from people that keep you free. I hope you get exactly what you deserve, PRISON.

I have posted here before (some where on page 3...I think...same story as the rest) and I have replied to several of the other emails posted.

Bottom line: I'm not giving up either!

A while back, I contacted the BBB, FTC, VA and a private lawyer in Maine (Sal...something) who was looking into a civil suite that would be affordable for all of those that filed. I don't know why he hasn't considered a pro bono case but he said there are different legalities to a large case than that of a small claims court suit.

Problem is, most of us are each out a few hundred dollars (which sucks under any circumstances) but those smaller amounts become inequitable to file individual suites (hmm...I wonder if MAACS already had that one figured out.)

Alison, or whoever is behind this scheme, will come to justice at some point...some way, some how but we need to keep the pressure going!

LETS STAY STRONG TOGETHER FOLKS!

Same story with me. I ordered a set of ABU's over 5 months ago and they took my money off my credit card. No ABU's, no refund, no answer to any of my e-mails or phone calls. I have no other option to believe anything other than I have been scammed along with hundereds of other service members. Don't do business with MAACS.

All,
I am in the same boat. They kept telling me my ABUs are on the way...than they stopped communicatinng. And that "create a ticket" thing online...well that doesn't work either. I placed an order back in Nov '07 and I still can't get my money back. I filled a complaint with my credit card company. Although they normally can not reimburse me for a transaction that took place so long ago, my CC comapny is having me file a complaint and they said that it is possible that they will file fraud charges against the company and get my money back. All those who used a credit card, please call your banks now and let them handle this matter. Your CC company has more legal power than you and no additional funds will have to come from your pocket to settle this matter.

I am amazed that this company is still in business. They have not advertised in the AF times in a while and now their website states that they are not taking any more ABU orders. They ripped off a lot of AF members who like myself are still waiting for a refund one year after cancelling their orders. This company is probably going to go bankrupt and we may get pennies on the dollar. Hey Allison, you should be behind bars.

Just found out that the thieving Allison McDonald is a US Naval Academy Graduate, class of 1995! If someone can please post any information on their alumni association address, I would greatly appreciate it. I would like to write them a lettter and let them know about what a thieving lying and service member abusing person they graduated. I presume her husband is also an alumni too.

her husband is a col in the army and they also own creative outdoor atmospheres in freeport

### thieves, Any word on the lawsuit by the Maine Attorney General?

I am back, 24 days later, no response from MAACS and I am still waiting for results from my complaint filed with my CC company. I don't see how a business can go bankrupt or have a problem whenthey took money but never delivered. I can't imagine how much money Allison must have after pocketing from so many Air Force members. She probably has a retirement account in Jamaica where she is stashing all our return money. She won't go to jail, she will more and likely leave country...

Ms. Macdonald was on WCVB in Boston in an undercover investigation due to her bad business practices. Do not buy from this company!

P.S. Ms MacDonald, you should use some of the money you stole from people and get a makeover.

Absolutely agree. I ordered $100.20 worth of ABU's from MAACS back in February (while I was deployed to Iraq). I was never refunded my money and they keep telling me "we have to catch up with backorders before we send you your money." What! I don't care about your backorders, you have my money and I want it back. I am almost afraid that Maine hasn't taken this company away from these people yet. Look at the data, they have almost 400 complaints with the Better Business Bureau and nothing has happened to them. They just keep taking money from hard working service members.

Try contacting the MacDonalds this way. Here is the website of their other "business". http://www.big-chair.com/contacts.html

My husband made a 191.98 purchase January 19th 2008 from MAACS. Some guys he works with told him he could get ABU's the next day. We waited for two weeks and called to cancel- no one answered. We e-mailed and no one e-mailed. I have written two e-mails a month and left a phone message with no response. My credit card company only disputes claims after 60 days. So I am out 191.98.
Melissa Buss

Everyone, please contact the Maine Attorney General. They have filed an unfair trade practice lawsuit against that fvcking thief Allison Macdonald. They will send you a form to fill out and notarize to present to the court. Allison has no defense against this suit, what is she going to say? She owes me money from October 2007. Hopefully there will be enough money for refunds.

Maine Attorney General
Attorney General's Consumer
Information and Mediation Service
6 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333

http://www.maine.gov/ag/dynld/documents/Final_Consumer_Complaint_PDF.pdf

Here is the story:

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/17598983/detail.html

She already defaulted on the lawsuit.

BOSTON -- A common thread ties the lives of U.S. soldiers that goes beyond the war zones where they served. Team 5 Investigates found hundreds of servicemen and women have been cheated out of tens of thousands of dollars by a military outfitter.

Watch Report

Newscenter 5's Sean Kelly reported the Maine-based company called M.A.A.C.S. (Military Accessories and Community Service) is being sued by the state attorney general's office for unfair and deceptive trade practices.

Team 5 Investigates interviewed three soldiers from Massachusetts who spent hundreds of dollars on the store's Web Site but didn't receive all of the merchandise they ordered. They demanded refunds for close to a year but M.A.A.C.S. hasn't paid them back.

"A company that caters to the military and then to take advantage of our trust, " said Capt. Troy Townsend.

"It's shameful for them to do that, " Capt. Sarah Houmes said.

They've been bogged down in a consumer conflict with an enemy they didn't anticipate. The owner of the store, Allison MacDonald, is a veteran.

"I've begged for my money back, " said TSgt. Kristina O'Brien. "It's pretty bad when the owner is promising something and she doesn't follow through."

They said the company strung them along for months using the same excuse. M.A.A.C.S. claimed their supplier wasn't giving them enough uniforms, the three soldiers said.

"I probably have a trail of about 30 e-mails from about four different people in the company all telling me a check will be issued soon, " Houmes said.

Team 5 Investigates discovered these soldiers are not alone. According to the Better Business Bureau, M.A.A.C.S. is one of the top 10 most complained about businesses in New England. The BBB received almost 500 complaints against the store from soldiers stationed all over the world. Collectively, they're out an estimated $75, 000. The majority of those complaints are unresolved, according to the BBB.

Team 5 Investigates went undercover posing as prospective customers to find out more about the company. A sales representative gave us a tour of the operation. He blamed most of the company's problems on an eight-month backlog caused by their uniform manufacturer.

"It's really buried a lot of people, " said Joe Hughes from M.A.A.C.S. "They just say you'll get it when you get it."

Team 5 learned that's not true. There is no backlog, according to the Air Force and other uniform suppliers.

"Have you had any trouble getting these uniforms?" Kelly asked Army Barracks store owner Steve LoPilato.

LoPilato: "No."

Kelly: "So you're not aware of any backlog?"

LoPilato: "No problem."

"The real unfair trade practice here is not necessarily we couldn't deliver what we promised because that happens to a lot of businesses, " said Jim McKenna from the Maine Attorney General's Office. "But taking the money and not giving it back, that's a problem."

McKenna says no one from M.A.A.C.S. has responded to the Maine attorney general's lawsuit.

Team 5 Investigates tracked down the company's owner to get answers.

"Why won't you give all these people their money back?" Kelly asked MacDonald inside her store.

MacDonald: "We have. Over a quarter of a million dollars."

Kelly: "You've written checks to all of these military personnel?"

MacDonald: "They've either gotten refunds through their credit card company or we actually have done refunds."

MacDonald ordered Team 5 Investigates to leave the store but later e-mailed a list of hundreds of customers' names who she claims received refunds.

"She made it very clear to us that she's paid all these people back. Is that the case?" Kelly asked McKenna from the AG's office.

"We don't have any confirmation of that, " McKenna said. "We're going to court and we're going to try to get them to be forced by court order to pay all this money back."

McKenna said he's uncertain about whether M.A.A.C.S. will be forced to pay back every customer who demanded a refund or didn't get their merchandise.

Team 5 Investigates learned the company defaulted on the lawsuit and a court hearing will be scheduled to determine how much they will be forced to pay.

The owner of MAACS claimed that in addition to refunding everyone's money, she also offered a 20 percent store credit toward future purchases

All, I should have read the complaints before Nov 2007. I ordered three ABU sets and other accessories, including having items sewn. I understood the statement that there was a backlog and MAACS would ship as soon as possible. However, I tried to follow-up and got no responses until finally a shallow response that the items are still being acquired. I finally requested a refund in March 2008 because I purchased uniforms elsewhere. However, I couldn't get a refund because the response said the items were being sewn. I argued the point to no avail and contacted my VISA representatives. VISA couldn't help because the process was too long ago. I then filed with BBB in MA and they attempted to contact MAACS, who wouldn't return phone calls to BBB. I received a response from BBC stating they could do nothing else since MAACS didn't return the call. I checked back on the web site in September 2008 and noticed MAACS stopped the ABU orders and would still try to fill existing orders, or would grant purchase of other items if the ABU order was cancelled. I sent another email and was told a couple of items would be shipped and that I would have a credit at MAACS to purchase other things. When I checked for the web site today, Oct 9, 2008, the web site is no longer there. Now it looks like I'll still be without $400.
Hopefully many of you have received some satisfaction since your last comments.

This is unfortunate that all of you got taken by this company, I ordered 4 sets, plus tapes etc and after two months of getting little to no response I demanded a refund, WHICH... I actually got! I know it's hard to beleive, his was last fall (2007) so it was probably before they spent all of your money on their aparently lavash lifestyle... Sounds like the lawsuit should look to liquidate assets to get the $$ back...

Good luck to all of you!

Looks as if this company has gone under. As a corporation it will probably not have any money left to pay any of us. Never in my life did I ever think that I would get taken by a fellow veteran--a Naval Academy graduate at that. Allison, you are a disgrace and you will pay for every cent you have stolen!

This thief is still taking orders. Now she has the gall to request that all orders be directly e-mailed to her. If only there was a way for me to get her credit card number so I can charge back all the money she has stolen.

"WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH OUR SITE, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, PLEASE E-MAIL ALL ORDERS DIRECT TO ALLISON@MAACS.COM"

LOL! What goes around comes around! Did she actually think she was going to steal money from military personnel and not pay for?!?! Oh and btw Nice big rig she has sittin outside in that interview. I think I'll take my money out that reposession.

And in addition I would love to see the list of names she claims she has paid b/c Im definitely not one of them!

After watching the news report I only became more disgusted. I ordered ACU rank patches while deployed to Iraq along with a flag and name tapes. I recived the name tapes but no flag. The worst part though was the Chiefs anchors were so out of regulation and not even close to looking correct. Being an ex Naval Officer and graduate of the USNA she should know what a Chiefs anchor should look like. I have known what they looked like from my first day in the Navy. To treat members of the military in this way is totally unacceptable and brings shame on everybody in her "outfit". I did try to give them the benefit of the doubt though. I wrote my first email to Helen after I called first to try to get this resolved and get proper anchors for my uniform but was met with a full mailbox. I then wrote the first email and sent a scanned image of the anchors for comparisson thinking maybe they didnt know better. I wanted to give them the opportunity to make it right by giving them an example to not only get mine right but to make sure it didnt happen to other sailors. I then wrote again and also wrote a complaint on another site as clearly my complaints fell on deaf ears. My money is gone, I can deal with that as I am fortunate I didnt spend as much as some others who really are out. That said, 50 cents is to much to spend at a scam outfit such as this. She does not deserve to call herself a veteran. Im glad she is not in my Navy anymore.

Allison you fvcking lying thief, give me back my money. I wished I was near you so that I could make a citizens arrest for larceny. You are a disgrace to the US Navy, the Naval Academy and all veterans. You are living the high life using money that we worked hard for.

I just had my one year anniversary of getting ripped off by MAACS. Actually choose the site becasue it was "veteran" owned, what a disgraceful way to treat service members.

All,
I am back. I hit my one year mark in a few days since this compay ripped me off. I have tried to contact them and even tried that extra 20% they were going to add to the price of my order. NO LUCK. I only lost about $100, but I feel sorry for thos who have lost way more than I have. I am not giving up either. I am going to send a letter to the Maine Attorney office as suggested by a fellow complainter. I hope these people serve some time!

You can add me to this list. My story is similar to everybody else on here.

Okay, I just called my credit card bank and reported the problem to the disputes department. Chase issued me a refund on the spot. Chase said they notify MAACS' bank that the item was not received and it is up to MAACS to prove that I received my item. End of story. I suggest everybody waiting for their refund to call their credit card company's dispute dept.

I notified USAA about the problem and they issued a credit to my account the next day. That is good because I got my money back (after 11 months). The fact remains however; that Allison is stealing from military members and the credit card companies shouldn't have fix the problem. She should go to jail for what she has done.

MACCS Military Clothing Store Agrees to Reimburse Soldiers
February 13, 2009

For Immediate Release
February 13, 2009

Contact: Kate Simmons 215-5088 Jim McKenna 626-8842

MAACS Military Clothing Store Agrees to Reimburse Soldiers

Attorney General Janet T. Mills announced that South Portland military clothing seller MAACS, Inc and its owner Allison MacDonald have entered into a Maine Superior Court Consent Decree which requires MAACS to refund to 96 armed service personnel their payments for military uniforms that were never delivered. The total amount of restitution ordered by the Court is $18, 716.

“The Attorney General’s office received complaints from U.S. soldiers stationed around the world, ” said Attorney General Mills. “This court order means that the MAACS customers will finally receive back their money.”

MAACS and MacDonald also agreed in the Consent Decree that if additional complaints are received by the Attorney General that they will be paid within 30 days. If MAACS objects to any claim, the matter will be settled in arbitration, paid for by MAACS.

MAACS must also prepare an accounting that lists all consumers who purchased clothing but claimed they did not receive their orders. MAACS must then present to the Court an affidavit confirming the full restitution paid to these consumers.

Any MAACS customer who still seeking money back from MAACS can contact us at: Gail Cyr Maine Attorney General Consumer Protection Division 6 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 Phone: 626-8502 Email: gail.cyr@maine.gov

Pursuant to the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act, MAACS will also pay a civil assessment to the Attorney General of $5, 000. By entering in this Consent Decree neither MAACS nor Allison MacDonald admitted to any wrongdoing.

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=AGOffice_Press&id=68128&v=article

Has anyone received their money from MAACS yet? It is 23 Mar and I have not.

John, Looks like Allison the thief has struck again, this time she scammed the Maine Court and the Attorney General's office. She has not paid out any of the money and she has not posted the link to the consent decree on her site. I was informed by the Maine Attorney General's office that it looked like they would have to go back to court. Unbelieveable

I just called the Maine Attorney General's office yesterday and he said that she sent out some checks this week. He also said that she is court order and they have more leverage now. He also ask me to call him back if I or anyone receives there payment so he can track it.

I hate the fact that I am so late in following up on my "order", which was placed in Nov '07 to the tune of $800.00 +
I only recieved the boots, and a month later when I began the cancellation process prior to a deployment...well, you all know the rest of that story. Since I'm way beyond 90 days w/my credit card Co., is there any way other than a lawsuit to recalim my $$?
I can be reached directly at parjward@charter.net
Perhaps, a little "grill door counseling" is in order? (that's an old tanker term)

They have owed me $100 for 13 months since they did not deliver my ABUs. I cancelled my order (Apr 08) in accordiance with their promise to send me a refund check. I still have not received my money and they refuse to answer my emails or return phone calls.

Forget it everyone, this is a lost cause. I just received notification via e-mail that Allison the thief has run to court and filed for bankruptcy protection. Ironically this was the day she was also to appear in Maine State Court to answer for false assertions made to the Maine Attorney's Office that she had mailed payments to various individuals including myself. According the the State Attorney she had produced a check with my name dated sometime in March. I never received such check and the address she had was my correct address. So, we all financed her Hummer, huge house a who knows what else. What bothers me most is not the money but the fact that I was robbed by a fellow veteran who is a naval academy graduate to boot. It used to be that an Annapolis graduate would hold the highest integrity. I like a jerk relied on her "disabled veteran" designation only to be stiffed.