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Resolved

A1 Janitorial Supply Corp.

Also known as: A One Janitorial, A-1 Janitorial.

The FTC alleged that A1 Janitorial Supply Corp. and related defendants billed small businesses and nonprofits for supposedly free or unordered cleaning products. A final order halted the conduct and required $2.7 million for refunds.

1Official action
$2.7MRedress ordered

Resolved. Refunded, settled, ceased operating, or the claim did not hold up. Kept for the record.

Identity

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Registrations
FTC v. A1 Janitorial Supply Corp. (FTC case 172-3050, 2017)
Locations
New York
Jurisdictions
United States (federal)

Court halted billing for supposedly free office supplies

A1 Janitorial Supply Corp., also doing business as A One Janitorial, was among the defendants in a New York-based office supply operation. The FTC alleged that the defendants called small businesses and nonprofit organizations across the United States and Canada, offered free samples of cleaning or other office products, and then billed recipients for the full cost. Invoices often named an employee, which allegedly led recipients to believe that person had ordered the goods.

The complaint alleged that the defendants sent larger follow-up shipments with higher invoices. When recipients objected, the defendants allegedly said the shipments were part of the original order and denied refunds on the ground that cleaning chemicals could not be returned. The FTC charged violations of the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and the Unordered Merchandise Statute.

A federal court first halted the operation temporarily. A final order later barred misrepresentations about free samples, orders, prices, and other material facts. It also prohibited shipping unordered merchandise except clearly marked free samples and imposed a $2.7 million judgment for consumer refunds. In December 2019, the FTC reported mailing 30,374 checks averaging $86, totaling more than $2.6 million.

What is not established

The case ended through an order settling the FTC’s charges. The supplied releases do not report an admission of wrongdoing. They describe the amount charged to businesses only as millions of dollars, so claimed losses are left null rather than inferred from the redress judgment.

Sources

Every claim above rests on one of these. Open them and check.

  1. Enforcement action November 8, 2017
    FTC Charges Office Supply Scheme with Bilking Millions of Dollars from Small Businesses for ‘Free’ Samples of Cleaning Products
  2. Enforcement action June 18, 2018
    FTC, BBB, and Law Enforcement Partners Announce Results of Operation Main Street: Stopping Small Business Scams Law Enforcement and Education Initiative
  3. Enforcement action April 11, 2019
    At FTC’s Request, Court Permanently Stops A-1 Janitorial Office Supply Scam
  4. Enforcement action December 17, 2019
    FTC Returns More Than $2.6 Million to Small Businesses Targeted by Office Supply Scheme

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First recorded November 8, 2017 · Last updated December 17, 2019