InTouch Blog

Janice Clemente| Manager, Investigations

“Help, I’ve been robbed, but he did not have a gun,”

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

Complaint information is one of the key components of a BBB Reliability Report and a major factor in a company’s BBB letter grade. From time to time, Cincinnati BBB gets calls from consumers who are wondering how a company can have an A rating or a “no complaint” report when they had filed a complaint at some point in the past. BBB reports are based on a three-year reporting period. The three-year time frame pertains to most of the information in a BBB report including complaints and government actions. This means that complaints filed by consumers are listed in the BBB Reliability Report for three years. After three years, the complaint, regardless of its outcome, expires and is no longer included in the report or factored into the rating. The complaint data in BBB Reliability Reports is updated daily as old complaints expire and new complaints are added.

So why three years? I’m not exactly sure how BBB arrived at the three year period but I do know the theory behind it. BBBs want to focus on the most pertinent information to consumers making purchasing decisions today. We understand that over time businesses change – there is employee turn-over, changes in management, changes in advertising, products, policies and technologies. All of these things can impact the complaints that a company receives and how they handle them. BBB also wants to encourage businesses to use complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve their practices and that should be reflected in the Reliability Report.

Chances are if a company has big problems that they fail to correct, new complaints will be filed to replace those that drop off after three years. If you have questions about BBB Reliability Reports or Ratings, please post your comments or email me. Your questions may be answered in an upcoming post.

Christine Baker, Director Marketplace Resources

I recently read a new story that a lawsuit was filed against a bank for not honoring a loan modification agreement. If you or someone you know needs assistance or are facing foreclosure, there are trusted resources to turn to. Please share your story with us, in order to help other people in your same situation.

• BBB Foreclosure Prevention Took-kit
• Resource directory of organizations providing assistance
• HUD
• Save the Dream

Janice Clemente, Investigations Manager

The Better Business Bureau offers these tips for spotting an advance fee loan scam:

• Pressure to act immediately. Advance fee loan scammers will try to get you to send money or give out personal information before you get any paperwork. Insist on receiving the necessary paperwork before deciding whether or not to apply for credit.
• Lenders not interested in your credit history. Lenders who don’t care about your credit record should be cause for concern. Ads that downplay bad credit and ads promising “fast money” or “guaranteed approval” often indicate a scam.
• A loan that is offered by phone. According to the FTC, it is illegal for companies doing business in the U.S. by phone to promise a loan or ask you to pay for it before they deliver.

When in doubt, contact your Better Business Bureau. The knowledgeable staff will help educate you on how to spot and avoid marketplace scams.

The Better Business Bureau encourages consumers who feel that they have been victimized by an advance fee loan scammer to contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. They may also contact their local consumer protection agency and the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Michael Dawson-Director of Marketing and Public Relations

I was born in the second half of the last century. This is important because it marks my time on earth and is my point of reference for all things around me. Also, I love newspapers, not a random thought, it ties into this conversation. I enjoy observing change in the world, just the good stuff mind you. So, as I watch newspapers change or fade away this makes me sad. The joy of sitting down with a newspaper and reading it from cover to cover was once a mandatory ritual to be informed on local and national events. Plus you got sports and the funnies too! What a bargain for only thirty five cents per day. Here is the change. People don’t read newspapers anymore. Or at least not as many people do and the newspapers are hurting as a result of this trend. Why? Because in the past we got our news when the paper told us or when the TV networks told us and we modified our behavior to fit their schedules. Here is the other change. The internet allows people to get the news when they want it, 24/7. But that was just the start of change because mobile technology truly sets us free to get information anytime and anywhere. The newspaper is portable but it can’t be updated in real time. So, what does this have to do with BBB? BBB was founded in the first half of the last century and unlike newspapers it has changed. You can get reliable information on businesses and charities 24/7 and on those mobile devices. Change is good, although I will miss my morning newspaper.

Mallory Pierson | Accreditation Coordinator

As a business that is interested in, or already applying for BBB Accreditation, there are some steps you can take to ensure the process will be efficient and provide the maximum benefit:

Check out your BBB Reliability Report before applying. Is the information up to date? Is all the information there? Is there even a report? Familiarize yourself with the information we have, and request changes if need be.

When in doubt, tell us more than you think we could possibly care about. Perhaps you switched your business from a corporation to an LLC last year but you kept the same basic name. Maybe you’re also the Vice President of another company. We want to know!

Be prepared to supply documentation verifying any information given. We are all about accurate information, and in order for us to be sure our information is accurate, it has to be verified. Maybe your company is smaller, newer, doesn’t have any legal filings, or doesn’t do a lot of advertising—it may be challenging to verify your business information, but it isn’t impossible. Company invoices with dates and reliable business references will usually answer our questions.

Let your references know BBB will be calling. If your reference is an employee of another company, sometimes they are caught off guard by a call from BBB; they may assume we want to speak with the President of the company or it is in reference to a complaint. Giving them a heads up will prepare them for the call or allow them time to get permission from a supervisor to speak with us.

Be prepared for a call or email after applying. Chances are there will be questions that pop up at some point during your application, and we will need to get in touch with you. We may even need additional paperwork filled out and returned. The more completely and quickly this information is supplied, the sooner your company is eligible for approval as a BBB Accredited Business.

Trisha Sefakis| Manager, Digital Media

NO! If they do, it is a scam. Scam artists are everywhere, and you need to safeguard your personal information mainly your social security number. You need to exercise extreme caution whenever you are asked for this information via the web or phone. If you really think about it, why do businesses really need this information? Your social security number is primarily used for tax purposes and to establish new credit... would the census bureau really need this information? Again the answer is No. Check out the recent story done by CNN on this topic.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

Earlier this week, the FTC announced that MoneyGram International, Inc. has agreed to pay 18 million dollars in consumer redress to settle charges that the money-transfer company allowed its system to be used to bilk consumers out of tens of millions of dollars. The company has also agreed to implement anti-fraud monitoring programs.

David C. Valdeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection stated that “Money transfer services have a responsibility to make sure their systems don’t become conduits to rip people off. In this case, MoneyGram not only ducked this responsibility, but also looked the other way while its agents took part in the scams.”

The FTC also posted a new consumer alert on its website titled “Money Transfers Can Be Risky Business”. Check it out for tips on avoiding telemarketing and money transfer fraud.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of one of these scams, call the FTC at 202.326.3755 to learn more about the redress administration process. We’d like to hear your money transfer scam stories, please comment.

Janice Clemente, Investigations Manager

Last week I blogged about an advance fee loan scam going by the name Overland Lending Solutions. Well, BBB has caught wind of another advance fee loan scam going by the name of Eastrock Lending Service, supposedly operating out of the Cincinnati area when in fact they are not. Eastrock Lending Service says on their website that they offer loans in the amount of $5,000 or more. But in order to receive the loan, you are instructed to wire as much as $1000 in processing fees.

BBB’s experience with companies of this nature is that no loans are ever given out. Once the scammers receive the processing fee, the consumer never hears from them again.

Eastrock Lending Service has no prior history of doing business in Cincinnati. The company is not registered with the Ohio Secretary of State or the Ohio Department of Financial Institutions, as required by any financial company doing business in Ohio. According to the website registration information, the website was created on 10/19/09 – only just a few days ago.

An email sent to admin@eastrocklending.com was returned as undeliverable. BBB contacted the administration offices for the building located at 309 Vine St, Cincinnati OH and were told there is no tenant by the name of Eastrock Lending Service occupying offices in the building.

BBB warns consumers not to submit any personal financial information (ie: social security numbers, date of birth) on the online loan application located on Eastrock Lending’s website. Not only is the webpage unsecured, the whereabouts of the persons that would receive this highly sensitive information are unknown.

The Better Business Bureau encourages consumers who feel that they have been victimized by this company to contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. They may also contact their local consumer protection agency and the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Janice Clemente, Investigations Manager

The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers and businesses about a phony debt collector claiming to be collecting for US Cash Advance, a payday lending company located in Florence, KY. The scammers say they are the “Federal Legislation of Unsecured Loans”, the “Financial Infraction Division” or the “Federal Legal Department”. US Cash Advance has informed the BBB that the collection calls consumers are receiving are fraudulent and US Cash Advance is not in anyway associated with the scammers attempting to collect these purported debts.

According to reports received by BBB, the scammers accuse the victim of defaulting on a payday loan and claim they are being sued. The phony debt collector threatens that, if the victim doesn’t pay as much as $1,000 immediately via wire or by providing bank account or credit card numbers, he or she will be arrested. The scammers often have the victim’s Social Security number, bank account numbers, employer information and even the names of personal friends and professional references. Business owners have reported to us that these scammers harass their human resources staff with so many collection calls that they are unable to conduct normal business.

BBB has received over 130 inquiries and 3 complaints since September of 2009. We offer the following advice to consumers if they receive a suspicious telephone call about an outstanding debt:

· Ask the debt collector to provide official documentation which substantiates the debt.

· Do not provide or confirm any bank account, credit card or other personal information over the phone until you have confirmed the legitimacy of the call.

· File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission online if the caller is abusive, uses threats or otherwise violates federal telemarketing laws.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

In honor of Protect Your Identity Week last week, I asked our staff for personal stories about ID Theft. Some of these are stories reported by callers but most are the direct experience of BBB employees. Please share your id theft stories by commenting below.

ü Last January I purchased a top-of-the-line computer and some equipment to go with it for school. The bill came to a whopping $3,600! Not 10 minutes after I hit "place order" on the online form, my credit card company called to verify my purchase. They said electronics are the number one purchase made with a stolen credit card, so they wanted to make sure I still had the card in my possession. I had no idea my credit card company was looking out for me that way, but I was glad they were!

ü My husband paid for dinner at a restaurant with a credit card, the kid swiped it through the credit card machine and a number reader someone else gave him. He used the information on the number reader to make all kinds of purchases - electronics, vacations, etc. My credit card company caught the theft, removed all the charges from my account, and sent me a new card. It was scary, because it was soooo simple!

ü Someone who didn't shred her junk credit card offers and would just tear them up and pitch them. Someone got in her trash and found the pieces and taped the offers back together. The thief changed the address and mailed it in. The credit card company issued the card and mailed it to the new address!

ü I tried to use my debit card to buy breakfast and was surprised to find out it was declined. I called my bank right away and was told they placed a fraud alert on my card due to suspicious charges. Someone in Florida created their own copy of my debit card and purchased over $600 at Wal-Mart the night before. Of course, I disputed the charges and had my bank reissue a new debit card. It took a few days for all the money I had lost to return to my bank account. I also had to withdraw cash at the bank in person until my new debit card arrived.

Janice Clemente, Investigations Manager

The Ohio Attorney General’s office issued a blog last week concerning trial weight loss supplement companies and how signing up for a “free” trial may not actually be free. Click to view their blog entitled, “Ever wonder how some companies can afford to give products away for free?”. The timing of this blog is not surprising to BBB. We’ve seen an upswing in complaints from consumers in our area recently on two trial weight loss supplement companies, FWM Laboratories and Advanced Wellness Research, Inc. According to BBB files, customers are not complaining so much about the supposed effectiveness of the acai berry, a common ingredient in the products both these companies offer. Instead, BBB has received complaints from consumers who thought they were signing up for a free trial but were repeatedly billed for products and services they didn’t want.

These companies claim to offer a no-risk, money back guarantee, free trial of their products. To sign up, customers provide a credit or debit card number to cover shipping. Complainants to BBB state that they are billed before their trial ends and continue to be billed after they have told the company they want to cancel. Complainants also find mystery charges for other companies and services that they didn’t realize they were signing up for with their “free” trial. So far FWM Laboratories has received 5,159 complaints and Advanced Wellness Research, Inc has received 2155 complaints from consumers nationwide.

BBB offers the following advice before signing up for a “free” trial offer:

• Always read the fine print. Many Web sites offering weight loss supplements do not disclose the billing terms and conditions or do not have such details prominently displayed on their Web site. Before giving the company any credit or debit card information, review the Web site fully and be aware that free trials typically result in repeated billing.

• Check the company out with your BBB first. Before signing up for any free trial, review the business’ Reliability Report online at www.bbb.org to see if the BBB has identified issues with the company.

• File a complaint with BBB if you feel you’ve been ripped off. Consumers who feel they are being deceived by a business selling weight loss supplement products can file a complaint with their BBB at www.bbb.org.

Christine Baker, Director Marketplace Resources

BBB files contain complaints about contracts – disagreement about terms, failure to honor, work performed without authorization or amount to be deposited. In order to help consumers and businesses avoid any confusion about work to be performed or money to be paid, below is advice BBB provides regarding contracts.

· Contractors name, address, and telephone number should be on the contract.

· A detailed description of the work to be done and a list of the materials to be used.

· Beginning and completion date.

· A provision that no changes in plans or specifications be made without consumer’s written approval.

· Make sure the contractor is in compliance with all local licensing, bonding and insurance requirements, and that any necessary building permits are obtained.

· Details of payment - down payment, monthly payment, number of payments. Typically a down payment of one third of the total contract price is made with additional payments made after completion of each phase of work. Final payment should not be made until work is completed and you have inspected the work. Special order products would be an exception for the down payment amount.

· A statement that the contractor is responsible for insuring his employees against possible injury on the job.

· A sworn statement that all bills for material and labor have been paid for by the contractor.

· A warranty or guarantee with all conditions spelled out.

· Contractor's signature, and local or state licensing number, if licensing is required.

· Consumer’s signed acceptance.

· Finally, get all oral promises in writing and never sign a blank or partially blank contract.

Janice Clemente, Investigations Manager

Overland Lending Solutions is an advance fee loan company advertising on the internet and purporting to be from Cincinnati, when in fact they are not. The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers that this is a scam. The company is targeting individuals who have poor credit history and difficulty obtaining traditional loans.

Their website, www.overlandlendingsolutions.com, states they are located at 703 Walnut Street Cincinnati, OH 45202. The Better Business Bureau has learned that the purported address does not exist. Consequently, mail has been returned as undeliverable.

Consumers are either solicited by email or find the company on the internet. They are lead to believe that they are approved for a loan ranging from $5,000 to $80,000. After filling out all necessary paperwork, consumers are then asked to wire an upfront fee ranging from $300 to $4,000. No loans are given and once the recipients of this scam receive the money, they cease all contact with the consumer.

Overland Lending Solutions has received over 130 inquiries and 3 complaints since September of 2009. The Better Business Bureau encourages consumers who feel that they have been victimized by this company to contact the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. They may also contact their local consumer protection agency and the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

If you are a homeowner in need of help with your mortgage, take note of the third annual Great Cincinnati Foreclosure Prevention Phone-A-Thon to be held October 14-16. The Phone-A-Thon is being sponsored by the Home Ownership Center, Legal Aid Society, WCPO-TV and CET, and other local organizations. The number to call is 1-877-7BUZZUS.

See the story from WCPO-TV for more details.

Erika L. Lehman | Director, BBB Foundation Services

The Cincinnati BBB Foundation was awarded an Outstanding BBB Award for its Charity Education Services. BBBs across the country compete for an Outstanding BBB Award, and recipients are selected by a five judge panel. Outstanding BBB Awards in the Outstanding Charity Review category recognize innovative charity review programs that help address challenges and continuously improve the BBB system.

The Cincinnati BBB Foundation’s submission, entitled “BBB Charity Education Services: Building Public Trust in Charities,” told the story of our decision not to name our local program a “charity review program,” and the successes we’ve experienced with the name “Charity Education Services.”

To our knowledge, we’re the only BBB in the country that has opted not to call our outreach to charities and donors a “charity review program,” and that decision reflects our commitment to go the distance to make sure charities have the tools they need to succeed and donors feel confident about supporting charities. We must be doing something right, because we’ve also experienced dramatic growth in our program since our name change: requests for information on charities has skyrocketed to 166,000 (and counting), up from 22,000 in all of last year, and we now provide information to the public about 850 charities, up from 699 last year.

One of the overwhelming things that I see in advertisements that have ethical problems lately is that companies just want to say far too much. There are multitudes of reasons for this. Most business folks might say that they just want to provide their customers the full information available about the service or product they’re providing. Here’s the problem, though: all that information about “How it works” does nothing but serve to confuse us.

In my experience, offering boatloads of information about your product does a couple other things, too: it makes your company stand out to BBB ad reviewers and tends to force consumers to ask questions like, “What’s the catch?” In general, I’d say that the less you say in an ad, the better. This, of course, raises the question, “How do I best advertise when I have a complicated product?”

The hilarious answer: very carefully.

The serious answer: very carefully. BBB regularly asks companies to prove the things that they say in their ads—and this is precisely why I recommend that you don’t go overboard. When asking for proof, we expect to see the same things that agencies like the FTC would expect to see. In short, if you’re making what seems like an objective observation about the performance, safety, or quality of your product or service, the chances are pretty good that we’ll ask for proof of the claim.

In terms of real recommendations about how to advertise: tell us what you’re selling in a way that we can understand. More importantly, make sure that we can’t misunderstand anything. In the end, keeping it simple all comes down to two things: knowing what you sell, and knowing why people want it.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

Lent is still several months away but the FBI has announced their version of the “phish phry”. Nearly 100 people in the U.S. and Egypt were charged with crimes including computer fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft after a two-year investigation into this international cyber scam.

The defendants targeted U.S. banks and victimized account holders by stealing their financial information and using it to transfer money into bogus accounts controlled by the scammers. More details are available in the FBI press release.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. You can learn more information about cybersecurity and how to protect yourself online by visiting the Homeland Security Department’s website.

Erika L. Lehman | Director, BBB Foundation Services

I received an invitation to speak at a fundraising workshop today – the eighth request in the past month.  I didn’t write that to brag.  I’m wondering:  why is my inbox box flooded with speaking requests?

I receive speaking invitations on a pretty regular basis, and I’m usually happy to take the gig.  I’m often asked to guide donors on how to select charities they can trust or to guide charities of their operations.  Working with hundreds of local charities through BBB’s Charity Education Services gives me a unique perspective.

I figure I must make a good point every so often, because I keep getting asked back.  Or maybe it’s that I can put on a pretty good show.  (Everyone who knows me realizes that if nonprofits hadn’t become my passion, I would have pursued an acting career.)

Either way, why is my inbox full of requests promising me “an opportunity not to be missed by nonprofit executives” that want to receive “invaluable information” through “effective general sessions?” 

Am I as special as I think?  Stay tuned to find out in a blog post to come soon.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

The Ohio Department of Insurance and Nationwide Insurance Company are alerting consumers to an international mail fraud scheme.

Consumers have reported receiving checks that appeared to be from Nationwide Insurance. The bogus checks were for $4500 and came with a letter advising the consumer that they had “won” a $150,000 “Consumer Promotion Draw”. The check was to cover the taxes that were to be paid to a British Tax Official. In order to receive their prize, consumers were instructed to cash the check and to wire $3,750 to an address in the United Kingdom.

The individuals sending these letters and counterfeit checks have no affiliation with Nationwide Insurance and are illegally using the Nationwide name.

Check out fakechecks.org for more details on this and similar scams.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

Recently I was looking over the companies in our database that have an F rating. Many of the businesses on the list deserve to be there – they are scams similar to those highlighted in this blog, they refuse to address major advertising issues, have multiple unanswered and unresolved complaints, or perpetually fail to eliminate the underlying causes of consumer complaints.

But I’m sure that some of the companies on the list have no business being there. These are the companies who only have one or two complaints and they are nothing out of the ordinary except that the company failed to provide us with their response . Why is the response so important? Time and time again we hear from customers that they filed the complaint because they didn’t feel that the company listened to them or the company didn’t answer their questions or didn’t return their phone calls.

Writing a response may take a little bit of your time but its well worth it. By responding, BBB will be able to issue a Reliability Report and rating that is true to your business and shows that you are responsive to customer concerns. Even better, this is an opportunity to resolve an issue with your customer or at the very least, to obtain feedback to help you avoid similar problems in the future.

BBB reports complaints for a three year period so if you have some complaints that you may have let fall through the cracks, send me an email or give us a call at 513.421.3015 and we’d be glad to give you the details so that you can address these issues and get back to business.

Joining a fitness club always poses a dilemma for most people. Will I really get my money’s worth, will I still be motivated to go in 6 months, and will the gym still be open in a few months? Now there is a new question, will the gym still offer the amenities that I joined for? These are all good questions, and should be addressed before joining a gym. You should research different gyms and the fees. BBB provides a list of considerations before joining:

• Check with BBB first.
• Determine your fitness goals.
• Consider your budget.
• Check out the facilities.
• Ask around.
• Don’t give in to pressure.
• Read the entire contract.
• Know the membership details.

Remember, that paying upfront can get you a discount; you need to consider both the pros and cons of that option. BBB offers tips on joining a fitness club.

Christine Baker, Director Marketplace Resources

If your answer is YES, be very careful where you are looking for loans.  You may receive emails or find companies online offering loans.  All you have to do is wire money to them and they will provide you with a loan.  The problem is you wire the money in advance for the loan but never receive the loan and are out the money you paid.  This is known as advance fee loan schemes. 

No legitimate company will ask for funds in advance of a loan, nor will it ask for any fee to be wired to them directly by Western Union, Moneygram, or any other wire service.  Fees incurred in a legitimate loan generally are deducted before the funds are dispersed.

To protect yourself against Advance-Fee Loan Schemes:
* Seek credit locally before looking elsewhere.  If you are turned down make sure you fully understand why.
* Do not act immediately.  Many Advance-Fee Loan Schemes will try to get you to send money or give out credit card numbers before you get any paperwork or have a chance to check them out.
* Beware of anyone who claims that acting before you receive paperwork speeds up the processing of the loan.
* Get references and investigate them. 
 

Christine Baker, Director Marketplace Resources

Earlier this year, I told you how local BBB Accredited Businesses were being targeted in a scam to cash a check for overpayment and then send the remaining amount by Western Union.

Here we go again! This time a local attorney contacted BBB to warn us that he was almost scammed. He was approached by a company in China who wanted to retain him for collections. The red flag this time was after he cashed the check, the scammer would send him an account number to remit the balance. Head’s up by this local attorney saved him a lot of money.

This scam has been happening to many businesses for years. Get more information at about reports other BBB’s have received and tips to avoid overpayment scams.

Watch Video

Christine Baker, Director/Marketplace Resources

Yesterday, we received a call that an elderly woman received a scam phone call.  The scammer was posing as her bank, wanting her checking account number because “someone had gained access to her bank account”.  Too often BBB hears of this scam in many different forms.  In all these cases, the bottom line is that the scammer is looking for an opportunity to get your personal information.  

This call reminded me of a speech I recently made to a retired group about identity theft.  I told them that basically the thief wants to become you.  The better you look on paper, the more likely you are to become a target. 

Below are some tips to keep your identity protected:

• Closely guard your social security card, driver’s license and account numbers.  Don’t carry these cards with you unless you need them. 
• Watch your mailbox.  Place outgoing mail in a secure box and pick up your incoming mail as quickly as possible.
• Don't carry personal identifiable documents in your car.
• Shred ALL documents containing personal information including unsolicited credit card offers.  Use unique passwords to online accounts and change the passwords regularly.
• Purchase anti-virus software and install firewalls and patches on your computer

The harder you make it for someone to steal your identity, the quicker they will move on to an easier target.  Find out more information about ID theft prevention and resources at
http://cincinnati.bbb.org/Identity-Theft-Resources/

Jason McGlone | Advertising Review Specialist

The great majority of advertising monitoring we do is according to BBB’s Code of Advertising. There are, however, certain Ohio Attorney General guidelines that we contact companies about on a regular basis, and one in particular seems to be somewhat widespread in the Cincinnati area: the issue of "limited" rebates on automobiles.

Know, though, that you might not qualify for some of these rebates, and it’s definitely in your best interest to make sure that you have a clear picture of the price you’re going to pay for a car when you’re going through the initial payment process with the dealer you’ve chosen to work with. If you have any questions about specific auto dealers, or questions about auto dealer advertising, let us know.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

Back when I started working at BBB, we were a telephone driven organization. When we provided information to a consumer or counseling on a complaint, it was a two-way conversation. We provided Reliability Reports and expert advice but we also asked customers about the businesses they were inquiring about – How did you hear of the company? What prompted you to call us today? Can you send in a copy of the questionable solicitation? All of these questions yielding valuable information BBB could use to investigate a company or to better address its business practices.

Today, we still get our share of phone calls but mostly we’ve become an internet driven information provider. It’s great to see that we can reach out to so many more consumers and in a more convenient platform but it seems that we’ve lost something too. That’s why I wanted to reach out and try to re-connect with those customers and businesses that are checking out companies and filing complaints. If you have a question or an experience to share, comment here on the in-touch blog. Or, become a fan of our Facebook page and be sure to post your questions and comments. We will also be introducing a survey form into some of our BBB Reliability Reports to help us gather the information that we need right from the source – you! We’d like to hear your ideas for reaching out and engaging in a conversation.

And if you get really nostalgic, give us a call at 513.421.3015.

 Trisha Sefakis| Manager, Information & Accreditation

Neither is immune to identity theft. Ben Bernanke was a victim of an elaborate identity theft scheme after his wife’s purse was stolen from a Starbucks. The purse contained her Social Security card, checkbook, credit cards and ID’s. These documents were then used to begin writing checks and stealing money. Don’t let this happen to you. Check out the resources that BBB offers to prevent identity theft.

 A few months ago, I posted about how to begin shopping for a car. To review: the first thing you do is determine what kind of car you’re looking for, and that should be based on a few must-have features that the vehicles in question have.

Our must-haves changed little from my first post back in May—we’re still looking for towing capacity, cargo space, and seating. We got rid of the cost-prohibitive criteria because we decided that we wanted to buy new—having the full warranty, along with any possible service agreements, like “Free Car Washes for Life” or “Free Oil Changes for a Year,” attached to the purchase of a new car appealed to us more than the prospect of buying a car pre-installed with a few thousand miles already on it.

Yeah, we like the prospect of seeing what happens when we take the new car in for a car wash five or six years from now, when it’s far from being a new car anymore.

All that said, and after quite some time, we moved to step two of the car-buying adventure: picking vehicles. We chose three, and went to dealerships around town to give them a look. Two of the three dealerships we went to had very few of the SUV’s we’re interested in available; they both explained that they’re in high demand and the manufacturer(s) are struggling to keep up. An economy thing, essentially.

The third dealership had many, many available vehicles of the model we’re interested in.

So, we got to drive each of the three vehicles we were interested in, and enjoyed all three. Each meets the basic needs that we’re looking for to a “T.” How, then, do we come to a decision? The first thought was raw dollars. Buy the cheapest one. We’ve got a small child, the pocketbook is obviously somewhat tight, and that’s the quick answer.

What about reputation, driver reviews, gas mileage, safety, and our overall first impressions from driving the cars? Shouldn’t that count for something? In a word, yes. And that’s why we ended up deciding to go with the most expensive of the choices.

We haven’t bought the car just yet, but we’re ready to move on to the next step: seeing what sort of price we can get. That’s what comes next, and you’ll be reading about it right here.

Trisha Sefakis, Manager, Information & Accreditation

The simple answer is NO! Scammers are using Google’s name to take advantage of job seekers. This is one of those cases where if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The scam is using the name “Google Money Tree”. The start up cost for the kit is stated to be $3.88. According to a victim, she charged the $3.88 start up kit to her debit card and was charged $72.00 and she received a disk full of bogus materials. The Federal Trade Commission has taken action to shut down Google Money Tree and 14 other alleged job-related cons. For more information on this scam please visit KOMO News and BBB.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

As consumers, we’ve all received our fair share of spam emails. A recent article in the Washington Post details how organized cyber-gangs in Eastern Europe are specifically targeting small businesses with similar attacks. Targeted email messages contain either an attachment with a virus or a link that installs malicious software on the victim’s pc.

Unfortunately, businesses may not have the same protections on fraudulent activity on their bank accounts as consumers do so it’s important to take note and make sure that all employees are trained to spot “phishy” email and advised not to open attachments or visit links sent with suspicious emails. Check out www.onlineonguard.gov for internet fraud education through tips, games and videos. “Phishy” emails can be forwarded to the FTC at spam@uce.gov. If you’ve been the victim of a phishing attack, contact your bank or financial institution and file a complaint with authorities at www.ic3.gov.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

A while back, we blogged about those annoying auto warranty robo calls. The FTC recently announced that changes to the Telemarketing Sales Rule that take effect September 1 will prohibit such prerecorded commercial telemarketing calls to consumers unless the business has obtained written permission from the consumer to receive such calls.

The rule amendments do not prohibit calls that deliver purely “informational” messages as well as calls from politicians, banks, telephone carriers and most charitable organizations. See the FTC press release for more details.

Do you have a robo call story to tell?

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

Part of being a better business is being a safe business. The Cincinnati Police Department is circulating tips to help businesses avoid becoming a victim of a robbery as well as tips as to what to do if you do become a victim. Click here for more details and be sure to share this information with your front line employees.

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

The Ohio Department of Commerce just issued a news release announcing that they have paid out more in unclaimed funds in Fiscal Year 2009 than in the previous fiscal year. When purse strings are tight, every penny counts.

Unclaimed funds consist of monies or the right to monies that have been dormant or forgotten. These funds are reported to the State of Ohio for safekeeping until the rightful owners can be found. Some common examples include: dormant checking and savings accounts, forgotten rent and utility deposits, uncashed checks, undelivered stock certificates, and uncashed insurance policies.

BBB urges you to be cautious about offers you may receive to assist you in locating unclaimed funds. Be sure to understand the scope of the service that is being offered. In some cases, after paying fees to an agent to locate unclaimed funds, consumers are simply sent information on how to obtain the forms necessary to claim the funds. The Division of Unclaimed Funds offers additional information on professional finders.

You can visit the Division’s website at www.com.state.oh.us/unfd/treasurehunt.asp

to see if you have funds due to you. Or, you can request information in writing at:

Ohio Department of Commerce
Division of Unclaimed Funds
77 South High Street, 20^th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215

Erika Lehman | Director, BBB Foundation Services

In May, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several state governments announced concerns about solicitations made by police, firefighter, and veterans’ organizations. Dubbed “Operation False Charity,” the FTC and 48 state governments filed more than 75 suits in court in May to combat the misleading fundraising practices used by some police, fire, and veterans’ organizations around the country.

Have you been a victim of this?  Please contact us with your story if you have.  We want to hear from you.

BBB is no stranger to the solicitations used by these organizations. More than 130,000 calls are received by BBB each year from across the nation on police, fire, and veterans’ charities. Some of these organizations represent that police, fire, or veterans operate the organization or represent that the majority of money collected will support these brave men and women when this is not the case. Such organizations are the target of Operation False Charity.

If you have received a solicitation for a police, fire, or veterans’ organization, we’d like to hear from you. Call us at (513) 421-3015 to tell us your story.

Jason McGlone| Ad Review Specialist

Several months ago, I wrote this post about Duct Masters, a duct cleaning company doing business in the Cincinnati area. Whelp, it looks like they’re still doing business, and they’re still collecting inquiries and complaints here at BBB.

Too, we still have the same advertising concerns that we did, and we still haven’t received further word from the company about these concerns. To be more precise, back in November 2008, we asked Duct Masters to provide documented evidence that their $49-$69 service in their advertising was comparable in quality to the $229 services of their competitors that they reference.

We’ll keep updating this story as long as we continue to receive complaints and inquiries about the company. If you have any questions or concerns about Duct Masters or any company’s advertising, please be sure to contact us.

Christine Baker, Director, Marketplace Resources

Below are tips to resolve a concern directly with the company. It is very important that you try resolving the matter directly with the company before seeking assistance from a third party. This allows the company an opportunity to resolve your concerns.

§ Remain calm. Take a few deep breaths before explaining the situation and put everything into perspective.

§ Contact the company representative of authority by email, phone or in writing. Do some research and find a specific person who has authority to correct a situation and address the issues with that person.

§ Specifically explain the situation, however, be as brief as possible. Details of a long subject matter will get lost. Include all relevant information regarding the situation such as purchase date, make/model of the item and account number. List the specific people you have spoken to dates of the conversations that took place.

§ Don’t make threats, be demanding or curse.

§ Enclose copies of receipts or other pertinent information (always keep originals for yourself).

§ Indicate what you are seeking as a resolution, but be reasonable. Ask for something equal to your disappointment.

§ Indicate a timeframe for the company to respond/take action.

§ Ask what the company can do for you if they can’t fulfill your request.

§ Include your contact information. They need to know who to reply to.

§ Keep records of calls made to company (date and time), who you spoke to and the outcome of the conversations.

Many people are looking for jobs and are using non traditional means to do so. Craigslist does post job openings. When applying for craigslist jobs, please take extra precautions when doing so. When applying for a job, you should never pay money in advance, or disclose any personal information to a company to obtain an interview. Personal information includes going to an external website to get a credit check. Below is a sample email received by a job applicant that applied to a job titled: “Junior Office Assistant” in the Cincinnati Area. Cincinnati BBB recommends watching for typical red flags when applying to jobs on craigslist. Craiglist offers some tips as well for using their service. Visit our News Center for more info on scams targeting job hunters.

Thanks for your interest in our office position. Just to restate the job duties for clarity, you will be answering the phone, scheduling meetings, and running company errands in a company car. When running errands you will be provided with a company credit card to make supply purchases, etc.

We have had some bad experiences in the past, so before we can schedule an interview, we need you to get a credit check. We prefer you use http://www.nationalcreditchecker.com to obtain this information. When you submit your information they will send you your credit score. When you email me your credit score, we can schedule an interview. Please do not email me your credit report, as this may have private information in it. Just send me your credit score. If you have a low credit score, that will not prevent you from having an interview with us, as we just need to make sure you are an honest individual.

Please send me your schedule with availability. I am looking forward to your response, thanks.

Sarah Baker
Hiring Manager
KB Collins Contracting LLC.
Sarah@collinscontracting.com
www.collinscontracting.com

Leslie Kish | Director, Operations & Accreditation

BBB is often asked by businesses and consumers alike how we determine which complaints end up in a BBB Reliability Report. This is the topic of numerous phone conversations and lively internal debate. And we understand that the way that we handle this issue lies at the center of what we stand for – Trust.

One of the most important things to note is that BBB does not report complaints based on a determination that a company was at fault or did something wrong. It is also not based on BBB Accreditation status nor is it based on a business’s industry or grade. Rather each complaint is evaluated on an individual basis. BBB staff members evaluate complaints for reporting based on specific complaint criteria. It’s important to note that a complaint on a company report usually means nothing more than a customer had a problem and asked BBB for assistance – that’s what our complaint process is all about.

There is always a small fraction of complaints we receive and do not report. Last year those accounted for about 13% of the formal complaints filed. Typically these are matters better handled by another agency such as employee – employer disputes, complaints about the quality of medical care or complaints about government agencies. In those cases, we provide referrals so that consumers can get the assistance that they need.

Trisha Sefakis | Manager, Information & Accreditation 

Ohio does have a 3 day right to cancel to protect consumers. However, many misconceptions on when this is applicable exist.

Q: Can you invoke the right to cancel regarding buying clubs?

A: NO, and the reason being is you went to their place of business with the intention of buying.

So if it doesn’t apply to buying clubs or timeshare opportunities, when does it apply?

It applies to home solicitations and prepaid entertainment contracts that are greater than $25.00. A home solicitation is defined simply as a sale of consumer goods by a seller in a buyer’s residence. A buyer has until midnight of the third business day after the day on which the buyer signs an agreement or offers to purchase to cancel without repercussions.

So what are other instances that the three day right to cancel or also known as the cool off rule does NOT apply:

Sales made entirely by mail or phone

Sales for Real Estate, Insurance or Securities

Emergency Home Repairs

When invoking your right to cancel, this should be done in writing. You should have been given cancellation forms at the time of the purchase. You will need to mail a copy, certified mail, or deliver a copy to the address provided. Always keep a copy of this form for your personal records. Remember, no reason is required to invoke your right to cancel.