The BBB is issuing an alert about a bridal show promotion that could pop up in our area. The promoters apparently operated solely online and by phone, so they could really be anywhere and could claim to be located anywhere, under any name.

Dream Wedding Bridal Expo (DWBE) came to our attention last week. DWBE has a Web site at www.dreamweddingbridalexpo.com.

A local Dallas, Texas reporter learned from a bridal service that they had received an email blast and paid a deposit to DWBE to be featured at a bridal exhibit at a Dallas hotel. The bridal service said that after paying the deposit, they checked with the hotel and learned DWBE had not even contacted the hotel about exhibit space. The bridal service asked DWBE for a refund but hasn’t received it. The bridal service has filed a complaint with Dallas BBB, and says he is notifying other wedding businesses, and filing complaints with Attorney General and www.ic3.gov. We don’t know if there are other victims out there.

The bridal service noted that the address shown on DWBE’s site is a large office building, and there’s no indication of which suite DWBE supposedly was in.

The Dallas BBB confirmed with the hotel that DWBE had not even contacted them. The hotel representative said she also spoke to three of the “sponsors” listed on DWBE’s site and none of them had heard of DWBE.

Last Thursday the reporter said DWBE told her that due to “issues with the venue” and “lack of support”, the show is cancelled.

The BBB Business review for DWBE is available by clicking the following link.

http://www.bbb.org/dallas/business-reviews/trade-shows-expositions-and-fairs/dream-wedding-bridal-expo-in-dallas-tx-90249499

In addition, the bridal service that complained to the BBB found that a bridal show promoter operated the same way in March 2010 in Boston. Although we have no information to show that the Boston show is connected to the Dallas show, the method of operating looks the same.

Here’s a link to a news story on the Boston show:

http://wbztv.com/local/bridal.show.scam.2.1528587.html

Have you ever received a letter in the mail, a phone call while eating dinner or been asked for a donation while walking down the street? These are just a couple of ways charities and non-profit organizations raise funds for their programs and organizations. We, as consumers, are often asked to donate quickly and without a lot of information. We are asked to make an informed giving decision on an organization that we may or may not know anything about. The Better Business Bureau and the Wise Giving Alliance have 20 standards for charitable giving that are used to evaluate charities and non-profit organizations to assist donors in making informed giving decisions. These standards evaluate organizations in the areas of: Governance, Finances, Organizational Effectiveness Assessment, Solicitations and Fundraising. As a donor, you owe it to yourself to have as much information as possible before you make a contribution to an organization. You want to be able to make sure your money is going to the right organization(s) and the organization(s) is/are using your donation in a way you are comfortable with. Don’t just be a donor, be an informed donor

All too often I will be sitting at my desk and will be handed an advertisement from a non-accredited business with the BBB name or logo on it. Come to find, the business is usually a former accredited business that did not modify its advertising materials once they stopped being accredited. However, in some cases, it is a business that either has a low grade with the BBB or is not even in the BBB system, but is using the logo as a way to convey a false sense of trust to consumers. The BBB name and logo are the standards for trust in the marketplace and the BBB has and will continue to crack down on businesses and individuals who look to use the name and logo for company gains, despite not being authorized or accredited by the BBB. The BBB will send one warning letter and a brief follow-up letter, if no response or modification, the BBB will report the company to our legal department at the Council of Better Business Bureaus for trademark infringement, violation of copyright law and false advertising. The BBB wishes to protect the rights and privileges of our accredited businesses so consumers, if you see a business falsely using our name and logo please contact Nick Ostergaard at adreview@indybbb.org

I’m a big fan of racing. Have been my whole life. As a kid, it was open-wheel, but now I’m all about NASCAR. And this is a huge weekend for NASCAR! The Brickyard 400 is a great opportunity for not only business owners, but all Hoosiers alike to show what a great state we live in. My last race was this year’s spring race at Bristol and while cold, it was fantastic! Part of what made the trip so great was the hospitality we experienced while in both Bristol, Va. and Bristol, Tenn. From the person that served us our steaks at the local restaurant to the person doing security at the elevator, everyone was just nice. Whether their smiles and cheerfulness was their appreciation for all the race fans coming in and giving their local economy a huge boost or simply the fumes coming from the cars on pitrow, I don’t know, but it was great.

Now I implore my fellow Hoosiers to treat the fans coming in this weekend like you would your family. People from Indiana are known for their “Hoosier Hospitality;” let’s life up to our name and show people from all over the country how great Indiana is. Yeah, there will be a few out there that give race fans a bad name, but most race fans are coming to Indy to have a good clean time- Let’s be sure we do our part in giving them one.

Indianapolis is fortunate to be able to host numerous large-scale events and conventions every year, these events and conventions effect the bottom line of many area businesses. By doing things the right way in a business sense, we all help to create a community of TRUST, which in turn helps add and retain events and conventions. The Brickyard 400 this weekend is just our latest opportunity to show residents and visitors of our city what makes the city of Indianapolis, Indianapolis businesses and most importantly, Indianapolis residents truly great.

The NEED for Assistance Remains in Tragedies

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If I’ve heard it once from a consumer, I’ve heard it 5,000 times. “I know my rights and I have 3 days to take this car back” and “The law says I have 30 days to return this stereo and the store won’t do it.” Unfortunately, these consumers are misinformed about their rights and the law. Most consumers just expect companies have a refund policy that allows consumers to return their items for a complete refund. However, in Indiana, there is not a refund law. To put it simply, a company does not have to issue refunds! They don’t even have to post their policies about refunds/no refunds. It is up to the consumer to find out what a company’s refund policy is before making a purchase. If there is no written policy, yet you are told at the time of purchase they do provide refunds, it’s advisable to get that in writing. Be sure to know what the stipulations are of getting a refund. Does the policy provide for a refund or exchanges only? Is there a waiting period for the refund? (Some companies send refunds in the form of a check from their home office and this can take weeks). Are there time limits to which you can take the item back? Does the item have to be unopened or still tagged?

There are a lot of companies out there that answer these questions for you by posting their refund/exchange policy at the customer service desk. This is great, but be sure you periodically read those posted policies at the stores you frequent most. The uncertain economic times of the past year-and-a-half has forced some companies to change their policies. Don’t assume your refund request next month will be handled the same way it was 7 months ago. The times have changed and so have some refund policies.

By: Diane Dove, Director of Dispute Resolutions

I recently spent 10 days in Italy on vacation. I traveled to some of the very small towns in the Tuscany region as well as the bigger cities such as Florence and Rome. Being in the advertising industry, my eyes have become trained to not just see advertisements, but to also wonder what they really mean.

After walking the streets of Rome, which I might add is much more commercialized than I anticipated; I noticed that nearly all of the shops had the universal word “SALE” covering most of their window space. Sometimes “SALE” was followed by -30%, or an Italian phrase I could not understand, but, coming from my background, I had to wonder when this “SALE” started. My guess, probably the day the shop first opened its doors.

Cities like Rome and Florence are so touristy that people are there for just a day or just a week and then they are gone. They have no idea that they were probably suckered into a particular store by the universal word “SALE” to pay a highly marked up price, which is not a sale at all. Sometimes overlooked are the shops and businesses that are doing things the right way.

I met an older man who runs a custom leather shop in Florence. He makes about 90% of the products he sells in the back room of his shop. His store was actually pretty bland in comparison, the windows were not covered with ads and sales pitches; actually they were clear so potential customers could peek in the window and actually see his products. This man spoke great English and gave me a tour of his workshop; his sound business practices and customer service earned him 3 sales. I bought a wallet for myself and a nice purse for my girlfriend. My dad also bought a wallet from his shop. When he was ringing us up, he took 15% off of the price because he said he is currently running a sale. Who knew?