The National Police are investigating an alleged scam by the owners of two furniture stores in Palma. The 3B's in the name of the stores (La Tienda 3B's) stand for 'bueno, bonito, barato' - good, nice, cheap. Up to 150 customers have not had delivery of their orders, some of which date back months. Last Saturday a protest was staged outside one of the stores on C. Aragon.
Both stores are closed, although the website has continued to operate (there is a browser warning if one tries to access the website). The stores initially closed, it was said, for holidays. A subsequent explanation was 'family reasons'. A different reason is an investigation for alleged embezzlement and fraud estimated to be around 100,000 euros.
The police have now arrested the company's sole administrator, a woman whose involvement in the plot - if indeed it is a plot - would appear to be non-existent. But given her position and the allegation of fraud, the police have had no alternative but to arrest her. This is despite the main suspicions having fallen on the owners' son; he was the one who signed orders.
A spokesperson for customers says that, in addition to the non-deliveries, suppliers haven't been paid and that employees have left.
The owners of the business have contacted customers and tried to resolve in a friendly way the apparent "accounting discrepancies" generated by their son. Their intention is to reach an agreement with suppliers and so unblock outstanding orders. However, they have also said that they don't have sufficient liquidity to make partial or total refunds.