Sears Accused of Fraud: A lawsuit charges...

Sears Accused of Fraud: A lawsuit charges widespread fraud in the sale of tire-balancing services at Sears, Roebuck & Co. tire and auto centers. The suit, filed in Federal Court in Tampa, Fla., alleges that between 1989 and 1994, Sears took in about $400 million through its AccuBalance tire-balancing service but failed to perform the service about 30% of the time. That means, according to the lawsuit, that customers paid about $100 million for services that were never rendered. The balancing service costs $12.50. The suit was filed by Tampa attorney Guy Burns on behalf of Kevin Twigg, a Sarasota man who purchased four tires from Sears with the AccuBalance service in late 1991. Twigg is seeking class-action status.