Attorney General Mayes Wins Judgment Against Phony Delivery Service

PHOENIX - Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced that the Maricopa County Superior Court entered a $902,508 judgment against Matthew Willes and his companies-Valley Delivery LLC, My Home Services LLC, Next Day Delivery LLC, and Next Day Holdings LLC-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.

"Mr. Willes and his companies went to great lengths to manipulate unsuspecting consumers into providing personal information and agreeing to receive telemarketing solicitations," said Attorney General Mayes. "It is unbelievable how far some people will go to deceive Arizona consumers. I am pleased that my office was able to stop this deceptive practice and hold the defendants accountable for their actions."

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:

• Misrepresenting to consumers that there was a missed delivery in order to obtain their personal information.
• Creating and maintaining deceptive websites meant to induce consumers to contact the companies about their "missed delivery."
• Failing to sufficiently inform consumers about its business practices, both on the companies' websites and on the fake "delivery slips."

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.

Senior litigation counsel Alyse Meislik of the Consumer Protection and Advocacy Section handled this case.

If you believe you have been the victim of consumer fraud, you can file a consumer complaint by visiting the Attorney General's website. If you need a complaint form sent to you, you can contact the Attorney General's Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at (800) 352-8431.