A New England furniture chain is promising to reimburse customers if both the UConn men's and women's basketball teams reach the championship games. Some 20,000 Jordan's Furniture customers who purchased products earlier this year could be fully repaid for $50 million worth of sales if the two teams win their Final Four games.
For Brian Mazzilli of Plymouth, Massachusetts, that could mean a $3,800 refund for a living room sofa and coffee table. Not previously a college sports fan, he has declared himself an enthusiastic new follower of the Huskies after the men's team's stunning buzzer-beater win over Duke in the Elite Eight.
Jordan's isn't on the hook for the $50 million itself. It got insurance for the promotion, as it did in 2007 when it offered a similar deal if the Boston Red Sox won the World Series — which they did. In that deal, more than 24,000 customers were reimbursed about $35 million.
Eliot Tatelman, the retired president of Jordan's who is still the face of the Massachusetts-based retailer in TV ads, said he came up with the UConn promotion idea while thinking of ways to increase the company's stature in Connecticut. The promotion was offered to customers who bought furniture, mattresses and accessories at Jordan's from January 20 to February 16 of this year, with some exceptions.
The undefeated, No. 1-seeded UConn women take on South Carolina in the Final Four on Friday night, while the men's team — a No. 2 seed — plays Illinois on Saturday.
