Originally published in the Summit Daily News, March 30, 2016

123Mountain looked like any ski retailer on Frisco’s main drag. It had the brand-name coats and gear that you’d expect to purchase for any outdoor excursion. But a growing number of disgruntled customers had filed complaints against the company. One day, one of them landed in my inbox.

I dug up reports of unreceived ski coats, unpaid manufacturers and two-year-plus shipping times. Ultimately, a temporary retraining order was put on 123Mountain’s owners, and their assets were frozen. The storefront, a piece of prime real estate, was also closed, with the landlord claiming three months’ of unpaid rent.

And the pricey jackets? They were later seized and sold by the Summit County Sheriff to repay a man who had never received compensation after redesigning the now-defunct company’s website.