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Read the Fine Print Before Purchasing a Gift Card
Gift cards may be the ideal solution for that person on your list you are having trouble finding a perfect gift for.They take the guess work out of gift giving, but you sure don't want to leave the recipient feeling bamboozled or worse, with a worthless card. Gift cards may have hidden fees and strings attached. It's important to read the fine print before buying and giving.
"You want to be sure you the recipient are clear on the terms of use for the card or if there are any fees that they could incur," said Nancy B. Cahalen, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Central New England. "Also, remember to check the car to ensure it was not tampered with before you purchase it, as this may be a sign of fraudulent activity by scammers."
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Take Some Hassle Out of Post-Holiday Returns with BBB Tips
 As the holiday season nears an end, many consumers head back to the stores, but this time not for more purchases, for returns. There is no magical inherent right to a refund for unwanted purchases. Every store has its own return policy and consumers should understand the policy before expecting a full refund. Stores are not legally required to accept items for refund, credit, or exchange unless the merchandise is defective or was misrepresented. However, stores must comply with their own stated return policy - which should be sufficiently conveyed to the customer pre-purchase.
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Berkshire Concepts Leaves
Consumers Stranded
After Falling for Enticing Travel Deals
 After a long day, coming home to a mailer indicating you have won two free airline tickets or other enticing free vacation offer may be just the thing to brighten your day, however, there may be more to this offer than meets the eye. It could be a sales tactic for a travel club looking for new members. Travel club complaints are reported to BBB by consumers nationwide, but one local company has taken many area consumers on a non-stop flight of frustration and leaving them empty handed. Since April of 2011, Better Business Bureau of Central New England has received nearly 30 reportable complaints from local consumers all relating to travel club offers presented by Berkshire Concepts formerly based in Pittsfield, MA. The business is also reported to go by the name Netrate Concepts.
The complaints seem to have two patterns. The first, consumers report receiving an offer in the mail for free airline tickets, before being offered the option to redeem the tickets they are asked a series of questions to help determine if they are likely to purchase a club membership. Consumers are then presented with the offer to attend a 90 minute sales presentation and redeem their free travel vouchers. Consumers have reported difficulty claiming the tickets and when they redeemed them, they find they are nearly impossible to use because of tight restrictions, fees and blackout dates. The presentation is a sales pitch that attempts to get consumers to purchase a membership to a travel club which allegedly will give them access to exclusive travel discounts and deals. This is where the second pattern of complaints was identified. Consumer's complaints allege that after entering into a contract to gain access to travel deals, they find the membership has little to no benefits or discounts as previously claimed. Consumers claim that when they attempt to contact the business to cancel the membership and get a refund, which average nearly $4,100.00, the business is unresponsive or unwilling to give a refund.
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Online Shoppers, Beware of Shipping Email Scam
Scammers are taking advantage of the holiday shopping season with fake email shipping notifications that pose as FedEx, UPS or the United States Postal Service. This Cyber Monday,don't let these scams fool you into opening a virus on your computer.
How the Scam Works:
You receive an email message that appears to be a shipping notification for a package. You've been doing your holiday shopping online, so you figure it must be something you've ordered. Curious, you open the email and attachment.
When you click on the file, you find that it isn't a tracking notification after all. It's really a virus that will download to your computer. Typically, these viruses phish for personal and banking information on your machine. But the FBI recently warned about the resurgence of a type of virus called "ransomware." Once downloaded, this virus will lock your computer and urge you to pay a ransom to the scammer responsible.
Like all scams, this one has many variations. Scammers have posed as FedEx, UPS, USPS and even big online retailers, like Amazon. They also change up the email content. A common version of this scam is a fake delivery failure notification. Scammers claim the attached virus is the receipt you need to collect your package from the local office.
Know about a scam in your area?
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Give Wisely to Charities this Holiday Season
 The holiday season gets many consumers in the giving spirit, and BBB is advising consumers looking to donate to a charity to give wisely. It's the time of year many charities step up their fundraising efforts and reach out for donations. Many consumers donate this time of year for tax purposes or as a means of giving back to the community or other less fortunate. BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers a few DOs and DON'Ts when it comes to charity giving, both at holiday time and year-round.
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On the Twelfth Day of Christmas
a Scammer Took from Me...
Carolers sing, reindeer prance and the Grinch schemes, as holiday buzz fills the air. As consumers shop, wrap gifts and donate to charities, it is important to remember not everyone may be in the same joyful holiday spirit. Schemes take on many forms, especially during the holidays when scammers come from all directions to play on the vulnerabilities of unsuspecting consumers. BBB has developed a list of 12 common schemes of the holiday season for consumers to keep in mind to help keep their wallets and personal information secure.
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BBB Ad Review Raffle Congratulations to Ad Review Raffle participant, Richard Nowak of Hadley Printing! He is the winner of a $100 Hannoush Jewelers gift card. BBB would like to thank all participants of the Ad Review Raffle. BBB will always accept reports of deceptive or misleading advertising. Please continue to report any findings to jtoomey@cne.bbb.org.
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Better Business Bureau of
Central New England 6 Park Avenue, Suite 100 Worcester, MA 01608
Consumer Hotline: 866-566-9222 |
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