WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

 

BBB: Beware of Valentine's Day scams

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan is offering some tips so you don't get scammed by flash sales ahead of Valentine's Day. Marketing & Community Relations Manager Katie Grevious said on West Michigan's Morning News that many people are doing an internet search for an out-of-town florist to deliver flowers.

"They find a website that says they'll deliver flowers to that area," she said. "They just go ahead and quick click on a picture and buy those arrangements. And then, we're finding out that those flowers aren't delivered on time. They don't look like the picture, or they're not delivered at all. And people are not able to get a refund."

Grevious recommends you order flowers or other gifts now, to give legitimate businesses enough time to process your order.

"A lot of those flower shops are small businesses; there's only a few people who work there," she said. "So, if you're last minute asking them to make these big arrangements and try to get these deliveries off on top of all the other big ones they're making during this season, sometimes your needs aren't going to be met."

If you do need to purchase something, Grevious says you should make sure the business has a brick-and-mortar address.

"If you can't find a physical address for that flower shop to confirm that they are in the area you're looking in, you should start looking elsewhere," she said. "We see a lot of fake/scam websites pop up, saying that they'll deliver to your area. And all they do is list all the cities in the U.S., to make it seem legitimate."

Grevious suggests reading customer reviews, use websites like BBB.org to find and research the flower shops. That way, you know your credit card or information about your loved ones is going into the right hands.

For more information, go to this weblink.


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