Attorney General Phil Weiser sues to protect consumers victimized by bait-and-switch repair company Acme Revival

June 23, 2025 (DENVER) – In a lawsuit filed late Friday, Attorney General Phil Weiser is asking a federal bankruptcy court not to allow debt relief for Acme Revival and its owner Logan Beck after an investigation by the Colorado Department of Law found the company defrauded dozens of consumers.

Acme Revival, which until February operated an online business out of a warehouse in Conifer, routinely deceived customers with promises to repair “anything, even when others don’t/won’t,” but often wound up holding consumers’ devices hostage while racking up illegal fees. In dozens of instances, the company filed lawsuits for unpaid fees that many customers had no idea they owed until they were served with lawsuits.

“Consumers sent Acme Revival their devices under the guise of a reasonable repair price, only to be quoted unreasonably high prices, charged egregious deceptive and junk fees, provided terrible service or no service at all, or served with a lawsuit without warning,” said Attorney General Weiser. “Our investigation showed that the company defrauded consumers. That’s why we are taking action to ensure that consumers—not fraudsters—are the ones protected.”

Since at least December 2022, Acme advertised repair services online to individual consumers and institutions like hospitals and nonprofits. After being offered a “ballpark estimate” online, prospective customers enticed by the seemingly reasonable prices would send their devices to Acme. For many, their broken devices would soon be the least of their worries.

Upon receiving devices, Acme performed what it called a “diagnostic” exam, which generated a “repair quote” that consumers were then told to accept or reject within 15 days. Regardless of whether they accepted or rejected the quote, Acme charged consumers an $89 diagnostic fee.

If consumers did not respond within that period, Acme would then prevent consumers from responding. After 15 days, Acme started charging consumers a $25 per day “storage fee.” The storage fees were rarely or poorly disclosed, and were the same regardless of the size or weight of the device. The company assessed these fees even when consumers requested their devices be returned or thrown away. It was difficult to impossible for customers seeking assistance to reach Beck, or anyone at Acme, as the company had no service staff and rarely answered the phone. Consumers often incurred hundreds or thousands of dollars in storage fees.

Consumers who filed complaints with the Department of Law over Acme’s conduct shared frustrating stories of mistreatment and huge bills. In several cases, the company assessed many thousands of dollars in fees to repair devices that investigators found listed online for $100-$150. Acme frequently used lawsuits or the threat of lawsuits to intimidate customers into paying settlements for far more than their devices—let alone potential repairs—were worth.

Contrary to claims that Beck made in bankruptcy filings, investigators found the storage fees were in fact a profit center. Records showed Acme hauled in more than $148,000 in settlement fees with customers for what would have been only $4,000 in diagnostic fees. These settlements also required consumers to pay attorneys fees and litigation costs that were not adequately disclosed. In the lawsuit, Attorney General Weiser calls the tactic of offering a settlement agreement for unreasonable junk fees and litigation costs that were not disclosed, “unfair and unconscionable.”

Even those who did pay Acme wound up getting terrible service. Some customers reported paying the diagnostic fee but rejecting the repair quote and failing to receive back their devices. Others paid all required fees only to never receive their devices back, received devices that were still broken or now had new issues, or were charged the $25 per day storage fee until they were sued for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Going even further, some customers who took to the internet to voice their displeasure with Acme’s bad service and illegal fees reported being sued for defamation. Beck wasn’t shy about his contempt for the consumers who sought his services, telling one news outlet, “Well, I will first say that these aren’t customers. Customers pay.” (opens new window)

Read the complaint filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado (PDF).

Consumers who believe any business is engaging in unfair or deceptive practices are encouraged to file a complaint with the attorney general’s office at StopFraudColorado.gov.

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