PHOENIX — The Let ABC15 Know Better Business Bureau volunteer team works hard every day to help resolve your consumer issues.
As part of Consumer Protection Week, our volunteers share their best advice for protecting yourself when making purchases or signing contracts with businesses.
Find each volunteer's tips below:
Contracts & Financial Protection
- Read Before You Sign: Always read a contract thoroughly before signing. If it's on an electronic device, ask for a printed copy to review first.
- Get It in Writing: Ensure all promises and terms are included in the written contract, as verbal agreements are often unenforceable. Don't let a salesperson leave until you have a copy of the signed contract in your email.
- Use Credit Cards: Pay with a credit card instead of cash, debit, or Zelle. Credit cards offer better consumer protection and the ability to dispute charges if something goes wrong.
- Demand Receipts: Never pay without getting an itemized receipt that clearly states what the payment is for, the total amount owed, and the payment schedule.
- Monitor Your Accounts: Check your bank and credit card statements at least weekly to catch any unauthorized or recurring charges you didn't agree to, especially after signing up for services like gyms or memberships.
- Know Your Rights: Be aware of consumer protection laws, such as three-day rescission periods for canceling contracts and lemon law protections for faulty products. Act within these timelines to protect your rights.
Researching & Hiring Professionals
- Verify Licenses: Before hiring a contractor, ensure they are registered and licensed. Check their status with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) and business records on the Arizona Corporation Commission website. An unregistered contractor is a major red flag.
- Find Out Who Regulates the Business: If it's a contractor, you can contact the registrar of contractors. The BBB is a good resource for all businesses, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is another potential source to check the company's record before hiring.
- Check Reviews and Reputation: Research the company thoroughly on sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Yelp, Google, and Nextdoor. For specialized services, consult trade groups like the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association.
- Get Multiple Quotes: For any large project or purchase, obtain several estimates from different companies to compare costs and services.
- Due Diligence for Movers: When hiring a moving company, check their reviews on Google, Yelp, and the BBB, and verify them with the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Identifying & Avoiding Scams
- Be Wary of Unsolicited Offers: If a salesperson comes to your door with an urgent, "must-sign-now" deal for something you haven't been considering, it's best to say no and close the door.
- Ignore Unrecognized Calls: Do not answer calls from numbers you don't recognize. Let them go to voicemail. Answering confirms your number is active, which can lead to more spam calls.
- Protect Your Information: Never give your bank account or Social Security number to strangers. Be suspicious of unsolicited calls claiming to be from Medicare or tax authorities, as they do not communicate via phone, text, or email.
- Recognize Payment Scams: If someone asks you to pay for something with a gift card, it is a scam. Similarly, be wary of anyone instructing you to withdraw money and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM for "safekeeping."
- Deny Remote Access: Never allow a stranger to have remote access to your computer.
General Consumer Advice
- Stay Calm and Patient: When a problem arises, approach the business calmly and kindly. You are more likely to reach a fair solution by working with them constructively.
- Check Your Receipts: Before leaving a store, always check your itemized receipt to ensure the pricing is accurate and all discounts have been applied correctly.
- Understand Insurance Changes: When adjusting your home insurance, understand exactly what coverage you are losing. A lower premium often means a reduction in protection, such as changing from "replacement value" to "actual value minus depreciation."
Document everything
- Take notes on who you talked to, what their phone numbers are, get names and any other contact information that they have.
- Use your phone to take "before and after" pictures of any project. This creates a clear record of the work and helps ensure alignment with the contractor.
- Hold onto all of your paperwork, including receipts, warranties, contracts, and keep them all in a safe place.
Help is available
If you run into a consumer problem, the Let ABC15 Know volunteers are available to help. Darlene says helping people — even when a resolution isn't guaranteed — is the most rewarding part of the work.
"Even if I can't solve or get the business to cooperate, we give them other resources that they can use to help them," Darlene said.
To reach out to the Let ABC15 Know team, email Consumer@abc15.com or call 855-323-1515. You can also fill out a complaint form here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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