Q. I see that this week is designated "National Consumer Protection Week." What is that program all about?
A. In summary, the bottom line objective is to empower our consumer base and how they reach educated purchase decisions. National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is a coordinated campaign that encourages consumers nationwide to take full advantage of their consumer rights and make better-informed decisions. NCPW 2015 is March 1 through March 7, 2015.
Better Business Bureau helps people find and recommend businesses, brands and charities they can trust. Thousands of people turn to BBB as the preeminent resource on businesses. Our goal is to go the extra mile in encouraging consumers to take full advantage of their rights.
As part of National Consumer Protection Week, BBB is offering these tips:
Always check out a business with BBB first. Go to bbb.org to see a company's BBB Business Review. A BBB Business Review will tell you how many complaints a company has received, whether the company responded to the complaints, licensing information, advertising related issues and more. You can also find a trustworthy business using, www.chattanooga.bbb.org which lists local BBB Accredited Businesses by industry.
Get everything in writing and always read the fine print. Contracts are meant to protect businesses and consumers by outlining the terms of the agreement. While it is natural to want to skim through parts of the long-written terms and conditions, it is important that customers fully understand their rights and to what they are agreeing. When signing a contract, BBB recommends reading the fine print carefully-even if it means taking it home and sleeping on it.
Protect your identity - and your pocketbook. Fighting identity theft means staying vigilant online and offline. Always shred sensitive documents that include personal financial information such as bank, credit card and Social Security numbers. Monitor your financial accounts closely to quickly detect suspicious activity. Shop online through secure sites by looking for the "s" in "https". Always confirm that the business is trustworthy before entering your credit or debit card number.
Never wire money to someone you do not know. Scammers know it is extremely difficult to track money sent via MoneyGram or Western Union. More troubling for victims is the fact that it's nearly impossible to get your money back once it has been sent via wire. Even if you have been given a check to cover the amount you are to wire, never send money to someone you do not know personally. If the check proves to be fraudulent, you are liable for the money.
Do your research. If you have been a victim of a scam or treated unfairly by a business, there are many organizations and government agencies you can turn to for help. National Consumer Protection Week is an educational resource to help consumers understand fraud and know their rights. For more information visit www.ncpw.gov. If needed, you can file a complaint with your BBB at www.bbb.org or the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.
Jim Winsett is president of the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga