Better Business Bureau Alert

    On August 8, 2008 the Better Business Bureau in Toledo posted the following information and

 alert after receiving information from a woman who has asked to remain anonymous:

    "This evening my husband was approached by two men in a white van that were

selling Genesis Media surround sound systems. They said they were delivering

in the area, had an extra left over and the boss just wanted them to sell it

before they returned. We paid $250 for it, got it home and looked it up on

line. We found out it is a HUGE nationwide scam. Please work with any news

channels to assure that no one else gets scammed. I got their license plate

number, but on the scam web sites, they said there isn't much that police

officials can do about the matter. They are working in the Waterville, OH

area. They are driving a white Chevy Tahoe with company logo on window.

There is an African-American man and a Caucasian man both between 20-25

years old. The scam web sites say they like to set up in Home Depot, gas

station, Circuit City, and Best Buy parking lots."

    Every year we warn about the bogus truck sellers who cruise the area looking

to cheat consumers. The surround sound scam is very big. Other junk they

sell with fancy brochures and promises of big discounts include:

* Stereo speakers (Reported in Sandusky last year)

* Furniture ("We were making a delivery but the store couldn't accept our

truckload of brand new furniture. Rather than drive all the way back to

North Carolina, we can sell you this furniture for half price....") They

have recliners, dining room sets, everything!

* Steaks and seafood (Every year, everywhere! "We were delivering a load of

these top quality steaks to a local restaurant but we didn't know they have

closed. These are USDA Prime steaks. We also have shrimp. We can sell them

to you really cheap.")

* Cookware. "This box of cookware is just like Corning Ware. You can take it

out of the freezer and put it directly into the oven. But because they made

a printing error on the box, we are selling these $ 129 sets of cookware out

of our truck for only $39." Don't believe the story. The stuff is glassware

and will shatter!

* Jewelry. "These watches are worth $350 but we had a truckload left after

the big trade show in Detroit. So we need to just get rid of them. We'll

sell you a man's watch for $100 and throw in a ladies watch for free!" They

may hint that the jewelry is "hot" (translation - stolen.) Probably not

true. It's just inferior junk from China.

* Appliances, Purses, Shoes - you name it!

    Beware of truckload sales! The sellers are smooth and convincing. They may

have glossy flyers with inflated "regular" or "list" prices, but don't

believe them. The merchandise may be counterfeit, labeled to look like a

name brand. The steaks look great but may be low quality - and what kind of

refrigeration have they received out in the hot summer sun all day?

    If you see truckload sellers using misleading tactics, please let us know.

Call the BBB at (419) 578-6000 or 800-542-5539 or email us at

info@toledobbb.org.

Dick Eppstein, BBB

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Posted August 10, 2008