Disabled Veteran gets his money back from Duval Street skin cream shop

The victim of a Duval Street skin cream scam received an $8,550 refund after filing a consumer complaint with the city of Key West and with involvement of the Key West Rip off Rapid Response Team. Robert Lapworth, a tourist from Flowertown,PA claims ERA Ageless, 617 Duval street Key West used high pressure sales tactics and took advantage of his medical disability to sell him goods he didn’t want or need. Lapworth is a 68 year old disabled Vietnam veteran who experiences memory loss and directional problems due to a traumatic head injury.
 
The  Rip off Rapid Response Team spokesperson Tevis Wernicoff called the sale a “Classic Honey Pot scam”  which he described as “an age-old sales tactic that involves a charming, attractive and convincing young women and an unsuspecting, inebriated or impaired man with money who ends up being separated from it. Sailors and landlubbers have fallen victim to honey pot scams since the beginning of time,and its been played out on Duval Street in this case.” said Wernicoff.
 
Upon receiving his money back Lapworth said, “I was taken advantage of but really glad I called the Rip off team. Its great the store finally gave my money back. Its been a real ordeal for me financially and mentally.”
 
The Rip off team is a small consumer advocacy group that deals strictly with Key West skin cream shops. They are currently negotiating a consent agreement with the business to change its refund policy and other business practices. They have conducted sidewalk protests outside Key West skin shops over return policies and to recover money the group feels customers were tricked out of.
 
Spokesman Bruce Mitchell said, “We were glad to help Mr Lapworth get his money back, but this latest rip off should have never happened. We are insisting these businesses change some of their practices. Rip offs are a disgrace to the city of Key West.”
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