With no coats coming and the voicemail full it was time for 7 on your side to step in.
It's been a chilly fall for the Hawthorne Cubs Cheerleaders. They were promised winter jackets ordered back in the end of the August would be on their backs by November.
"We were actually really cold, we have the warm-up suit but during the wintertime when it snows and rains, you need a jacket!" said Devyn Alvarez, a cheerleader.
The holidays would come and go, but the girls on the squad, in 3rd through 8th grades, still didn't get the coats their parents had ordered from De and De Athletic in Fair Lawn.
"I was actually hoping to get them during Christmas time," said Dreena Alvarez, a cheerleader.
"Parents are really upset the kids are upset we're all upset," Alvarez said.
"Now a lot of us had to go out and buy second winter jackets for the girls because now we're well into winter and this money that we spend that we were going to have the jacket we have nothing to show for it," said Meagan Tuohey-Kay, mother.
The moms say attempts to get an explanation or their $640 back went nowhere.
When 7 On Your Side called the company there was no answer.
7 On Your Side went to the shop, De and De's door was locked and it was all cleaned out.
"My concern was to stop this guy," said Catherine Cordes, a De & De Athletic customer.
Catherine Cordes says she paid De and De $100 in September for a varsity baseball jacket for her son.
She's still got no jacket and no refund.
After 7 On Your Side's phone calls weren't returned, we went to De and De owner's home.
Ralph DeLuca wasn't there but the following week, the owner finally called 7 On Your Side back and we picked up letters for the customers and two boxes for the Cheerleaders.
Inside the letters were full refunds.
"Oh here's a check for $640, our deposit, that's awesome!" Tuohey-Kay said.
There were also some free gifts for the girls.
That's something to cheer about!
De & De's owner acknowledged subpar customer communications saying financial issues caused his problems.
He now works out of his home, but vows he'll make all customers whole.
If he doesn't, call 7 On Your Side.
CONNECT WITH NINA PINEDA AND 7 ON YOUR SIDE
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