SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla — A Seminole County furniture store had great online reviews.
Andrew Trautmann said, “They sent me a really cool sort of intro pack with lots of samples of different types of leather.”
But after he paid thousands of dollars up front for a leather sofa, Trautmann said the company kept delaying his order, then just left him hanging.
“Emails, no response. Phone calls went directly to voicemail,” he said.
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Collier’s Furniture Expo had been in Seminole County since 2010. It opened in Altamonte Springs, then later moved to Towne Center Boulevard in Sanford.
Andrew Trautmann found the company online where it also used the name Leather Furniture Expo.
Trautmann said, “And for what I wanted for this particular project, they had a great selection to pick from.”
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The reviews he saw indicated it took a long time to get the furniture, but the quality was excellent. In September of 2024, he paid a deposit of more than $2500 for an Italian leather sofa.
He originally said it was supposed to take several weeks, but those weeks turned to months. He kept waiting while he said the store continued to make excuses about why the delivery was delayed.
Then finally in late April of 2025, he got word his couch was in Mexico at the border and soon set for delivery.
“And they needed a final payment. So, I gave him another, I believe it was $4,000 or $4,200,” Trautmann said.
But after paying, there were more excuses, the couch never arrived and eventually messages weren’t returned. Then he saw a message on the Leather Furniture Expo website noting the company discontinued operations due to financial difficulties.
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Better Business Bureau CEO Holly Salmons told Action 9, “We certainly have seen an uptick in the number of consumers both inquiring on our website and also filing complaints. Salmons pointed out many complaints were similar to the problem Andrew Trautmann had. People paid deposits and didn’t receive the furniture or a refund. We saw nearly 40 complaints against Leather Furniture Expo in the past year.
The Action 9 team went looking for the owners and found one of them, Michael Collier, at his luxury beachside condo in Volusia County.
Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal asked, “What would you say to people who felt like they paid thousands of dollars and just didn’t get anything for it?”
Michael Collier answered, “Well, I don’t know how many there out there that didn’t get anything for it, because you can, most of the time… you could, you know on credit card, you can charge back the credit card.”
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Collier said he feels bad about it, but the company fell on hard times, they had to file for bankruptcy after 15 years in business and they worked to notify other vendors who could assist with the orders.
Court records show the company had more than $24 Million in gross revenue from 2022 through 2024, but it claimed the margins were thin. The documents show the company later claimed that its “financial condition has materially deteriorated” since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy so that it now can’t even move forward and reorganize.
Andrew Trautmann did eventually get his sofa, but only after he paid for it a second time through another dealer. It’s not exactly the way he hoped his buying experience would go.
He advised, “Do your homework and make sure that they’re reputable and have credibility.”
Trautmann did the right thing paying with a credit card, and he was able to dispute the final payment. He got that money back, but the original deposit was too long ago, and so he lost out on the more than $2500 he paid.
If you find out a company that owes you money has filed for bankruptcy, it’s a good idea to gather all your documents and notify the court so you can be included if there are assets to be paid out. You could also file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s office. Small claims court could be another option.
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