BBB: Detroit's Secure Beginnings closes retail website

A Detroit-area business that made and sold mattresses for babies has shut down its retail website without telling customers who paid them ahead of time for products, according to the Better Business Bureau.

The website for Secure Beginnings LLC has ceased operating, officials with the consumer watchdog group said Friday.

They also said the Better Business Bureau has received since September nearly two dozen complaints from customers about paying the company for its SafeSleep Breathable Crib Mattress and not receiving one.

"In several complaints and customer reviews, consumers say they repeatedly tried to contact the company without getting their issues resolved," a statement from the Better Business Bureau said. "Based in part on information provided by the founder of Secure Beginnings, Julie Andreae, BBB has now concluded that Secure Beginnings has ceased online operations."

It also said the company "claims to have no means of issuing refunds to customers who have not received purchased items. It is unclear whether manufacturer warranties will be honored on SafeSleep products, given the current operating status of Secure Beginnings."

The agency also recommends anyone who purchased a mattress on the company's website to contact their credit card company or bank to dispute the charges.

The company was founded in 2010 and in 2015 its founder entered it into the TV reality show's Shark Tank competition, where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to investors.

cramirez@detroitnews.com