Okanagan co-op accusations and denials

Co-op pages on Facebook is a fad that is catching on in the Okanagan.

Members say there are deals to be had but some people are waning “buyer beware”.

Some Okanagan residents are coming forward with stories of paying for goods they haven’t received.

Liesa Wilson says she couldn’t resist after coming across an Okanagan co-op page on Facebook called OKNFCO.

“The first two products came within six weeks,” Wilson said.

One of them was a $13 dress. A bargain Wilson thought, so she ordered more items but the orders stopped coming.

“I should have stopped ordering then and that was my intention because people started complaining, wanting to know where their money was, wanting to know where their shipments were,” she said.

The co-op Facebook page Wilson ordered from has since been shut down.

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But there’s another Facebook page that has been created as a result of the growing complaints against OKNFCO.

The founders of the co-op site are Priscilla and Chris Clayton of Vernon.

“Nobody was defrauded and we’re trying to get this straightened out in a logical and timely fashion so that people get their money back,” Chris Clayton said.

He maintains the bulk of the problems in getting products to co-op members is because they come from China and the wait can take weeks, sometimes months.

Rebekah Wittenberg of West Kelowna also had dealings with the Clayton’s.

Not long ago, she received a large order from Priscilla Clayton for novelty socks Witterberg makes.

Wittenberg said she then started receiving inquiries about the socks from customers who say they had already paid Clayton.

“We are looking at a (text) message from a customer in the co-op that told me that Priscilla had told her that I’ve already received the money and that I’ve been just too busy to make the items which is false information. I never received any money from Priscilla yet,” Wittenberg said.

Clayton has since contacted Wittenberg, wanting to resume the order for the socks. Wittenberg refuses to do business with her.

Chris Clayton says Wittenberg is in breach of contract and legal action will be taken against her.

He adds the sock order will be honoured through another supplier.