How To Avoid Being Taken By Scam Artists

By Author: tina zhang
Total Articles: 1
Comment this article

With the explosive popularity of the Internet, consumers now have a broad range of tools available to research the claims of manufacturers, retailers and services. Unfortunately, this technology does come at a price. Some companies have learned how to control the media by spamming the Internet with fake reviews created by self-interested parties. This makes it particularly hard to make a decision about who you can trust. Nevertheless, there are some things a person can do to protect oneself.

Having a PayPal account is certainly one recommended way to ensure you have a certain degree of protection on your side. PayPal not only allows you to make payments safely but will also act as an intermediary in case of a dispute.

Another way consumers can protect themselves is through well known sites that specialize in giving unbiased reviews. The only problem here is that some sneaky individually will join these services and post their own reviews to the products they sell. For this reason, it's important to know the difference between site moderators/official content writers and people who just respond to or create questionable ...
... posts. Some other key issues to keep in mind include:

A. How credible is the company or person making the claim(s)?

B. Can you verify the person is who he or she says they are?

C. Does the person have verifiable references?

D. Have there been any registered complaints against them?

E. Can you find any information about the company, product or service from other forms of media besides the Internet?

F. Does the person try to cut corners? Permits exist for a reason; to ensure the job is not only done right but also so that you will not be held liable if you sell your home and future occupants get hurt because unpermitted work was done incorrectly.

G. Always check with your local municipality to see if you need permits even if your contractor claims you don't.

H. Never sign anything without reading the fine print.

I. Always ask an unbiased authority if you do not understand the terms and conditions of a contract.

J. Never give a final payment to a contractor until all services are rendered.

K. Don't assume a person is more reputable just because he or she appears honest or has similar values (e.g., a "newborn Christian" that "doesn't lie" " except to you, inspectors and other associates when money gets tight).

L. Don't assume that the cheapest bid is always the best. Some people will unrealistically bid the lowest to get a job and then either fail to deliver or do the job poorly.

M. Always make sure the individual or service is licensed or certified in their field and does not overextend what they are licensed to do to save money.

N. Always make sure each job has a completion time mentioned and that the contract allows you to cancel services if the job is not done within a reasonable time frame.

O. Always get a written estimate or exact amount due if possible.

P. Always inquire about the guarantee, ensure that it is written and check what it covers.

Q. Always use discretion when hiring someone that does not appear to drive and has to rely on a helper for transportation.

In an ideal world, every website or service would be verifiable and easy to check out. Unfortunately, many legitimate businesses don't even make it clear who they are and where their businesses are located on their About pages. Although Google does actually rate upfront businesses higher in SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages), failing to disclose important company information is not at present at least, enough to keep a website from appearing in first page results. This doesn't mean that a company that does not make it clear where they are from is untrustworthy, but upfront companies know they have the advantage.

So how do you know exactly who you can trust? Personal recommendations can be helpful, but even this is not a guarantee that you will not have a negative experience with a given party. The so called "friend of a friend" may seem like a good idea until that person stops showing up for work and returning your calls.

Although there is no foolproof method that ensures you will never have a bad experience with a contractor, marketing company or other service, using an intermediary that provides some form of additional guarantee or protection like the Superpages or PayPal can at least in theory, reduce the chance of being swindled. Moreover, a well known reputable dealer with a local presence may cost more, but sometimes a little extra up front may save a fortune if the job isn't done at all by another party and has to be redone. These tips may not eliminate the possibility of being taken by scams, but every additional piece of knowledge you can arm yourself with puts you one step ahead of those who care more about making a quick buck than they do about the products or services they offer you.

Robert Haskell is a contributing author and manager of consumer affairs for http://www.officesalesusa.com and http://www.worldatfocus.com