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06/11/09:
Mortgage Foreclosure Scams
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BBB Warns - Foreclosure "rescue" companies may promise to save your home, but only empty your wallet
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05/21/09:
BBB Issues Warning
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BBB Issues Warning on Charitable Solicitations from Police, Firefighter and Veterans' Organizations
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04/01/09:
Mystery Shoppers
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Many who have lost jobs because of the economic downturn or just need more income because of increased expenses--and especially those who have few job skills, reasons they can’t get to a job site, or the need to be at home
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02/05/09:
Needy Non-Profits: Beware the Grant-Finding Trap
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As the economy's downward spiral continues, more and more individuals, businesses, and industries are finding themselves in financial trouble. In the nonprofit segment, even churches are facing financial famine as their congregations have to cut bac...
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02/03/09:
BBB says Buyer Beware When Shopping Going-Out-Of-Business Sales
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Retailers across the country are being hit by the declining economy and some big brand names such as Circuit City are closing doors and liquidating assets in order to pay debtors. To customers' ears, a going-out-of-business sale means huge discounts,...
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01/02/09:
MEMBERS: WE WANT TO SHOW YOU OFF
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We need photos of our members on the job to be rotated on our website's splash page. What we need is a good photo of you that gives the feeling that you've just stopped for a moment in your normal day of business.
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01/02/09:
CHECK RUSE IS STILL BAD NEWS
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The $9.25 check Bureau President Bill Mitchell received in the mail last week was nothing new. The amount may have been different from others of its kind, it was sent out by a different company, and the product he’d be buying when he cashed it was d...
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01/02/09:
NEW LAWS FOR 2009
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Here are some of the laws that become effective this year:
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06/16/08:
The Great Wu-Yi Weight-Loss Tea Trial
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It's not really a question of tea's guilt or innocence. After all, what might a tea be guilty of? Bad taste in the first degree? Libel...
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01/11/08:
SHOE ORDERS KICK CUSTOMERS AROUND
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Customers who ordered shoes online from Kickstime.com aren't getting any kick out of what they've gotten for their money.
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05/03/06:
What's In a Name?
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Do you find the name "Credit Protection Association" (CPA) threatening? Whether or not you do can depend...
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04/26/06:
Used Car Buyer's Bill of Rights Takes Effect
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With enactment of the Car Buyer's Bill of Rights, effective July 1, consumers have a few more legal rights when they buy or lease a used car. This new Bill of Rights applies to used cars purchased from a dealer with a purchase price of less than $40,...
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03/02/06:
What's the Good Word?
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Consumers whose complaints were resolved through the Better Business Bureau write: ...
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11/01/05:
Our Readers Write
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Thank you, Kim [Burge], for your article on the National Small Business Alliance.
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05/01/05:
Fox Rent A Car Deals
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What the quick brown fox jumps over is not necessarily a dog and not necessarily lazy.
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05/01/05:
Click-to-Check Icon Gets New Look
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Members whose website gives visitors the opportunity to click to check their reliability report with the Better Business Bureau...
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03/01/05:
Checks for Charities
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What's the easiest way to contribute to a charitable cause? Hand over cash and get a receipt for it? Use a credit card? Write a check?
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03/01/05:
BPA Seeks Judges
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BPA is looking for business professionals to volunteer to serve as judges for one or more events at BPA's National Leadership Conference 2005...
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03/01/05:
Music Promoter Strikes Sour Notes
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Ronald Turner thought he had what it took to go somewhere in the music world. The 59-year-old FAA computer technician worked nights and weekends for two-and-a-half years writing and recording...
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01/01/05:
Corporate Compliance Recorder
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Corporate Compliance Recorder has been the subject of 14 complaints in 2004. None of the complainants lost any money, and CCR has responded to 75 percent of the complaints, so why do we give it failing marks...
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11/01/04:
Yellow Pages' New Bait Hooks Unwary
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Yellow Pages companies have long enriched themselves by mailing statements that appear to be invoices but are really only solicitations for yellow-page ads.
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11/01/04:
BBB Reporting System Revamp Nears Completion
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The Better Business Bureau's reporting system has been undergoing substantial revision and should be in place this month. Revised in part because consumers surveyed nationally expressed the need for more company information, the new reports will give...
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09/01/04:
The Immigrant Education Extortion Racket
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Maybe it seems like a warm welcome to Hispanic immigrants when FGH International calls to tell them that the U.S. government wants to foot most of the bill for them to learn English or how to do automotive repairs.
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07/01/04:
What About That Great Buy In The Sky?
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Would you like to swing on a star? Carry moonbeams home in a jar? Maybe you can't quite do either, but entrepreneurs are making it easier to come closer or perhaps to reach something better.
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05/01/04:
A Solution To The Affordable Health Care Problem
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At a glance it would seem that success in what Congress, presidents, AARP, and others have failed dismally to accomplish so far is summed up in about 16 words that precede a toll-free number.
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03/01/04:
New Business Arbitration Clause
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The Better Business Bureau's Uniform Rules for Binding Arbitration have recently been revised, and businesses that participate in the Bureau's Business Arbitration program should revise the arbitration clause they presently use.
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01/01/04:
Kudos From Complainants
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Here's what some of the consumers who have complained to the Better Business Bureau have to say about the service they received.
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01/01/04:
BBB Aids In Mail Fraud Convictions
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The Better Business Bureau receives complaint after complaint from people who accept an offer for a credit card and pay a substantial fee for it.
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11/01/03:
A Word Of Appreciation To Our Members
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As we enter the season of holidays, our thanks to our members and our wishes for good cheer and a bright coming year carry elements of both bitter and sweet.
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09/01/03:
Fast White Teeth Whitener
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Telemarketers charge consumers for a free sample of teeth whitener, then make ongoing charges to their credit card. Victims, who see red, think Fast White turns off-white in a hurry.
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09/01/03:
Swiss Directory Snares Malibu Business
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When Michelle Lee sent information off to Tourist Directory about her restaurant, Neptune's Net Seafood, in Malibu, she didn't realize she was committing herself to a payment of over a thousand dollars.
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07/01/03:
Dogg Digital Audio
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Buyers bite into a huge markdown on speakers but learn later that the Dogg bites back.
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07/01/03:
Kim's Catch Of Yesterday: A Sequel
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Using the same catch as Girls Gone Wild another website throws customers off track by offering a "totally uncensored and uncut video review of the hottest and sexiest celebrity video clips in the history of film."
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05/01/03:
Debt Collectors Haunt Survivors
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How do you collect a debt from a deceased person? Exodus Collection Services, who seems to have some skill in collecting debts they attribute to those who have emigrated to the other side, may have an answer for you.
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05/01/03:
Magical Stone From The Amazon
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Maybe the most fortunate of us have a so-called guardian angel who holds all the cards, and is willing to deal some out to us.
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05/01/03:
Taking The Fun Out Of Funding
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What Michael Butler didn't know, hurt him. It hurt him, in fact, to the extent of more than $4,000. That was the amount of the penalty the 33-year-old Indiana resident incurred for paying off his mortgage early.
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03/01/03:
Raising Funds For Telemarketers
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Are you the kind of person who steps forward to contribute to charities that purpose to help victims of disease, famine, war, or other scourges? Would you be so willing to pull out your wallet to help pay the rent and buy food, gas, insurance, enter.
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03/01/03:
CTS Marketing
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You're probably not any happier than anyone else about the price of gasoline. If you take CTS Marketing up on their offer, you should pay only 50 cents per gallon at any pump in the country.
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03/01/03:
Sales Job Or Snow Job?
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It sounds like an offer few people could resist, whether they've been laid off or whether they're holding down a pretty good job: become an independent contractor selling credit card processing equipment for DiamondCard Credit Card Processing Corpor.
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03/01/03:
The Word On VietNow
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If VietNow fundraisers had solicited your contribution and you'd checked out the BBB Wise Giving Alliance's website, here are some of the things you would have learned about the organization itself:
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01/01/03:
Topping The Tip
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If you've ever been rankled by the presence of a service charge of some 17 or 18 percent on top of banquet or hotel room charges and various room and sales taxes and still other fees, you may sympathize with the woman who sued over just such a servic...
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01/01/03:
What's The Good Word?
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Here are comments of a couple of consumers who took the time to let us know the good news about their use of our services:
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01/01/03:
The Dismal Side Of Disneyland
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Disneyland has lost sight of the service that brought it to the reputation it enjoys today. For one visitor, the Magic Kingdom is never-never land.
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11/01/02:
I Do Honeymoons
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Couples who book travel with I Do Honeymoons in anticipation of saying "I do" to each other are left standing at the altar when I Do says "I don't."
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11/01/02:
Should You Forget About Senior Moment?
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If you're a senior with any concerns at all about the direction your memory is taking, you've probably snapped to attention when you've seen, heard or read about Senior Moment, the "advanced memory enhancing dietary supplement."
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11/01/02:
The Week Before The Night Before Christmas
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Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town Everyone was promising "The best deal around!" The Yuletide merriment was marred by the sight
Of fast-dealing swindlers -- a perennial blight.
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11/01/02:
Winning The Costly Prize Game
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Lucky Lupe Robledo! First, the National Diabetes Fund wants to send him $2,500. But, they say, their records concerning him are incomplete.
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09/01/02:
These Collectibles Make Money A Memory
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Why do people buy collectibles? As an investment...for resale...or to complete a set? In every case these customers were promised a large profit in a short period of time.
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09/01/02:
How Reliable Are God And Country?
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If you are drawn to a business that displays the American Flag or sprinkles their advertising with Bible verses, don't feel guilty requesting a BBB Reliability Report.
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07/01/02:
A Tale Of A Cake And Ail
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When it came to planning her wedding, Maggie Yanez was a smart cookie. With her wedding cake, for example, she took no chances. Before she ordered it, she priced and tasted cakes at 15 to 20 different bakeries.
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07/01/02:
Salesco To Make Consumer Redress, Pay Fine
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Salesco, a San Dimas-based seller of automobile accessories through the mail, telephone and Internet, recently entered a consent agreement with the Federal Trade Commission.
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05/01/02:
The Other Side Of The Credit Coin
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There's no dispute that the total amount of credit card debt is staggering. The Wall Street Journal reports $1.23 trillion in credit card transactions a year, the figure obtained from a recent Federal Reserve System survey.
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01/01/02:
The Job Mirages
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The economy is in a down turn. Unemployment is rising. Job opportunities are shrinking. How do you making a living when times are tough?
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01/01/02:
Advertising Your Bureau Membership
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Better Business Bureau members who have been in business at least a year may now include the Bureau's torch logo and the statement that they are a Bureau member in their advertising.
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01/01/02:
Broadcasting Training Company Generates Static
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It's not easy to tell just what American Radio Network's game is. The Hollywood company advertises in the New Times Los Angeles, a free paper, for radio announcers and talk show hosts, no experience necessary.
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09/01/01:
Watch For Phony Phone Bill Charges
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A Bureau member looked over his company's last phone bill and noticed, for the second time in a couple of months, a $6.00 charge for a collect call.
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09/01/01:
Orly The Matchmaker
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Orly Hadeda, who calls herself "the One and Only Matchmaker," charges thousands of dollars to arrange all the introductions you need over a one- or two-year period in your quest for the "perfect match."
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09/01/01:
The Problems With Debt Solutions
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Suppose there was a way for you to pay off a mortgage in much less time, pay off credit cards, pay rents and leases, phone and utility bills, student and business loans, child support, IRS and other liens, property taxes--all without filing bankruptc...
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09/01/01:
Our Readers Write
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"It was absolutely amazing to note the misinformation that was provided in this article. . . . [m]overs cannot and do not ever sell a product called 'insurance.' .
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07/01/01:
Bureau Assists First Senior Citizen In Court
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Wallace Kimmet didn't expect his investment in corn to make some alchemical transmutation to gold, nor did he expect it to end up as peanuts. Nevertheless, it did both.
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07/01/01:
Magnetic Therapy Mattress Pad Promotion
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Companies use a free meal to attract customers to seminars promoting magnetic mattress covers as a cure for a variety of ailments. Some are finding there's no free lunch.
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05/01/01:
Consumerinfo.com
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Here's the catch: Consumers are signing on for a free credit report but ending up paying--sometimes for nothing.
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05/01/01:
How To Make A Smooth Move
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How does it happen that you find your personal possessions held hostage until and unless you pay much more than you were originally told to get them back?
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05/01/01:
All The Wrong Moves!
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Making a move, either locally or long-distance, often has some of the features of making a movie: anticipation, innuendo, suspense, surprise, threats, villains, hostages, ransom, victims, and an ending that may or may not be happy.
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03/01/01:
Bureau Sues Carpet Cleaner
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The complaints, many from seniors, alleged bait-and-switch tactics in advertising carpet and upholstery cleaning at a cost of less than $20 (and sometimes less than $10) but charging as much as several hundred dollars more when the work was done.
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03/01/01:
Computers For Sale...Bit By Bit
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Very soon you'll realize that, besides targeting Hispanic people, Sabina has put a new twist on buying on the installment plan that also includes selling in installments.
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03/01/01:
New BBB Seniors' Program
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Consumers who are 65 years and older have a little more marketplace protection with the Better Business Bureau's new Senior Consumer Services program.
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01/01/01:
Subleasing Vehicles Yields Super Losses
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As an auto equity promoter, what Global Auto Escrow offers is to find lessees or sublessees for car buyers or lessees who can't or don't want to make any more payments.
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01/01/01:
PMB Deadline Looms...Again
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Even before the U.S. Postal Service's PMB deadline last April, the USPS was in the process of changing its mind.
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01/01/01:
Prescriptions By Internet?
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You may have half a dozen reasons for wanting to get your prescriptions filled through an Internet pharmacy. Your biggest question, though, is probably whether it's safe to do that. Sometimes it's not.
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01/01/01:
Members: Use the Correct Arbitration Clause
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Members who participate in Business Arbitration risk an arbitrator's decisions' being overturned unless they use the correct arbitration clause in their contracts.
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01/01/99:
Matchmaker Strikes Out With Clients
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Why would anyone complain at all about a company that uses some 12-or-so pages of information about you in their efforts to find you a match?
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