Cash4Gold sues Consumerist and former employees
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Wealth
What do you do if you're the most recognizable name in the gold buying business and you find out that the Consumerist has reported on a former employee's allegations of shady dealings?If you happen to be Cash4Gold you sue the former employee for defamation and name Consumerist as a co-defendant in the lawsuit, which seeks to remove the original complaint and the Consumerist article, "10 Confessions of a Cash4Gold Employee."
The Consumerist, having no qualms about standing behind a story it deems newsworthy, has responded with an incredibly detailed rebuttal called "The Article Cash4Gold Doesn't Want You To Read," which includes mystery shoppers, Better Business Bureau complaints and countless legal documents to back up its position.
After plenty of research, which included several attempts to speak with the CEO of Cash4Gold, Consumerist found that, "the available evidence from the time (Michele) Liberis was working at Cash4Gold provides ample and compelling support for her 10 points."
The biggest question left on the table even with the lawsuits and rebuttal is which of the claims made were or are true and which are false. The legal maneuverings of Cash4Gold make it even harder to separate fact from fiction as the Consumerist explains,
While Cash4Gold's reluctance to discuss the allegations based on pending legislation is plausible; its decision to rescind an interview with the CEO and then to sue the Consumerist for reporting on a story it deemed newsworthy is disturbing.Meanwhile, the legal documents filed by the company present several puzzles. In its original lawsuit against Liberis (PDF), the company asserted that her statements were "false and defamatory." Yet a later order against her (PDF) prohibited her from publishing "confidential and proprietary information" as well. Obviously a statement can't be both proprietary (hence true) and false at the same time. We've asked Cash4Gold to clarify which part of Liberis' statements were which, but it has refused.
Unfortunately the decision to sue bloggers for criticizing a company based on claims of proprietary information or trademark disputes are all too common these days and despite their purpose being to remove critical information from the Internet they usually end up bringing more attention to an issue. In this case the attention, that won't go away, is in the form of additional top search results critical of Cash4Gold.
As for WalletPop, we still think you're going to get the best price for your used gold by visiting a local jeweler or pawn shop to sell your gold.
If you want to learn more about how to figure out how much your gold is worth, and how that figure translates into what you can sell it for read this guide to selling your gold without getting ripped off.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-03-2009 @ 8:37AM
hannah said...
cash4gould. yup you read it right gould. I've not dealt with them but our local new did a story comparing prices people were getting. Result was go to a reputable jeweler. the rest are just scheisters.
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9-16-2009 @ 3:11PM
mrcorn said...
This company looks like a great way to fence stolen goods.
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9-03-2009 @ 3:40PM
BigJuanny said...
Facts: Home robberies are up due to many factors. What is being taken has changed. No longer going for TV's, computers etc. thieves are increasingly only taking small items like gold. Law enforcement has been quoted as saying they believe it is due to the Cash4Gold type places that will buy gold items in any condition and don't have to check a 'hot sheet' like pawn shops. Fast, safe and no one has been reported to police by the Cash4Gold type operations. Of course they will give you far less than what the gold is worth. Imagine how much they spend on advertising??
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9-03-2009 @ 11:38AM
Dave said...
Goldprice.org has an automatic chart for those who have scales & can know how much thier stuff wieghs.
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9-03-2009 @ 11:38AM
CeeCee said...
It puzzles me everytime I see one of their ads. It says it is insured, when you mail it to them in the envelope they provide, How is this so? How do they know what the customers will send, or how much to insure it for? I don't see how you could prove that you sent specific items, other than to prove you sent (a) package, It just doesn't make sense to me.
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9-03-2009 @ 11:38AM
dave said...
Do not send them any gold these operations pay you a fraction of the true value, go to a reputable jeweler or a local dealer for a face to face estimate...DO NOT SEND YOUR GOLD IN THE MAIL
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9-03-2009 @ 12:15PM
paul said...
Reading the artical 10 Things They Don't Want You To Know reminded me of my time working at a call center where we handled The Gold Obama coins. When customers called with in 48 hrs of placing an order over the automated system and discovering their orders were for much more than they thought they were ordering, we were told to lie to them saying their order was in process and we could make no changes to it. Too bad if the amount would cause you to be over drawn and cause checks to be bounched, the order would ship. If you wanted a refund you had to mail it back at your expense, and we keep your original shipping and processing fee.
I was fired from my job for accidently slipping one day by being honest if the customer.
People, anytime you order anything by phone from a TV commercial, you are being scammed. It's standard operating proceedure.
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9-03-2009 @ 12:16PM
Dave said...
Cash4Gold is a scam......they are nothing but a bunch of crooks.....their entire operation should be investigated for fraud!
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9-03-2009 @ 12:16PM
Christina said...
After working for a reputable jeweler, let me save you all the hassle. Never sell your gold to a pawn shop or a jeweler you trust because they are the middle men. They are then going to make a profit that you could also pocket if you go to the source yourself. Go to a refinery. Anyone can and there are plenty of them. The one I used was called Garfield Refining Company out of PA. They are great and you will get your money quick. Look them up on the web at www.garfield-refining.com. We used to pay $10.00-$15.00 per penny weight. Going to the refinery myself I recieved $24.00 per penny weight. Of course this also depends on what the gold market is each day. Do the math and never sell your old or broken jewelry to a middle man.
-Peace
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9-03-2009 @ 3:44PM
Dolly C. said...
your statement is extremely logical and I hope thousavds of people read it.........
9-03-2009 @ 3:44PM
Owen said...
I learned the hard way they are crooks. I sent in a gold chain which they claim they never received. They did receive my Tiffany's silver ring but only wanted to offer me 39 cents for it! Avoid them!!!
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9-03-2009 @ 3:44PM
John padrick murry said...
I am not giving up my gold rings one for twenty years of service where i used to work another i bought from a friend.
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