TMCnet News
Colibri customers should get items sent for repair(Providence Journal, The (RI) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 2--Customers who sent a lighter or other product to the Colibri Group for repairs will get back their items, said the lawyer overseeing the financially troubled company. East Providence-based Colibri Group, one of the region's best-known jewelry makers, unexpectedly shut down last week, laying off its 280 employees. The company was placed in state receivership, a form of bankruptcy in which a state Superior Court judge appoints a trustee to take charge of a company's operation. Last week's abrupt decision brought a sudden end to a nationally known producer of clocks, jewelry and cigarette lighters that had operated for 81 years. It also left a group of anxious customers wondering what's to become of the elegant lighters and other items they sent to the company for repairs. Allan M. Shine, the court-appointed trustee, pledged to get the items back to their owners. He asked Colibri customers for patience. "When we catch our breath, we're going to dig these things out," he said. "We'll get to it." The priority, Shine said, is helping the nearly 300 people put out of work by the closure. Shine also has to find a way to pay back the banks that loaned money to Colibri. The company owes about $14 million to HSBC Bank and a similar amount to Sovereign Bank, according to Shine. Among other things, the company is trying to sell its remaining jewelry, gold and silver to pay creditors. People seeking the return of an item sent to Colibri should contact Shine's office, Winograd, Shine and Zacks, by e-mail or fax. They should include their contact information and copies of receipts or order forms. The e-mail address is: [email protected]. The fax number is: 401-272-5728. To see more of the The Providence Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.projo.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Providence Journal, R.I. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |