Better Business



Years ago, I got talked into a vacation deal that seemed too good to be true. It was. However, it was a legitimate company and all of my reservations and tickets were very real as well. However, once we arrived at our destination, it was not anything like what weíd been promised. We attempted to make the most of it but needless to say, we were livid. Once we returned home, I declared war on this company. They never apologized, offered a refund and did not acknowledge my letters. No one seemed to even care that I was unhappy. I took the matter to the Better Business Bureau, and they paid attention to me.

For those of you who are not too familiar with the Better Business Bureau, I encourage you to be. Why? They are looking out for the interests of customers and consumers everywhere. Once I filed a complaint with them, they got in touch with the company and got more results than I had. Not that the Better Business Bureau can do anything more than a bit of investigation, document and publicize complaints and act on behalf of the consumers ñ but it doesnít bode well to ignore the Better Business Bureau. Within two days, the company who had taken advantage of me, offered to refund 50% of my costs. I was content with that outcome. Had it not been for the Better Business Bureau, I would not have gotten the same outcome.

Nowadays, there are so many companies and businesses that operate online that it isnít easy to tell what is real and what is a scam. Iíve heard some horrible stories about people losing their identities and/or lots of their hard-earned money because they fall prey to these fake companies. Even if you think that youíve pondered it and done some homework on the company, you could still be victimized. Before purchasing from someone or something that you just arenít comfortable with, you can check their reputation with the Better Business Bureau. If they have a good reputation, you can feel a bit more comfortable. If theyíve never even heard of the company or have never dealt with them, you know that you should proceed with a bit of caution. There are many times, since my experience, that I have checked out a company before dealing with them. Not to say that every store that I enter is checked out, but if Iím dealing with an online company, you bet that I do some homework. It is the best way to protect yourself. Iím just happy that a company like that exists.