Focus on Finance: BBB names 2012 ‘Bad Boys’

Question: Who are the worst of the worst with the Better Business Bureau?

Answer: The Better Business Bureau, serving Louisville, Southern Indiana, and Western Kentucky has named its top area businesses for which it processed the most unanswered/unresolved complaints and serious complaints in last year. Each company has an “F” rating with the BBB.

“This list of businesses shows why it is wise to get a BBB Business Review before you do business. The BBB can help consumers locate reputable businesses … and stay away from the ones that don’t necessarily conduct their business in an ethical manner or answer their complaints,” said BBB President and CEO Charlie Mattingly.

This year’s BBB list includes the following businesses in order of number of unanswered/ unresolved complaints:

1. Professional Concepts, 333 Broadway St., Paducah, 14 unanswered/unresolved complaints. Consumers complain the company contacts them saying it has a buyer for their timeshare. The seller is asked to sign a contract and pay $1,989 in advance for a title search, lien search, legal fees, etc. After the seller wires the money, they complain the company will not return their phone calls.

2. Warranty Logistics, 11201 Electron Drive, Louisville, 13 unanswered/unresolved complaints. Consumers say the company sends their broken computers/electronics back unrepaired. Warranty issues also are a concern.

3. SolarTEK Energy, 1503 Evergreen Road, Louisville, 12 unanswered/unresolved complaints. Consumers say they purchased energy savings systems and equipment from this company and that it either has not saved them the money promised, it takes the company months to show up to repair equipment, or the company does not show up at all. Consumers complain of poor customer service and no return phone calls.

4. A&M Services/M&S Contracting, 4404 Utica Sellersburg Road, Sellersburg, Ind., nine unanswered/unresolved complaints. This company’s BBB accreditation was revoked in February 2012 because of violations of BBB Accreditation Standards. According to complaints, the company does not fulfill contracts and the company has not responded to all complaints. A&M Services engages in multiple misuses of BBB’s name and logo on company shirts, vehicles and its website. Consumers should be aware that the use of BBB logos and BBB name without authorization is a violation of U.S. federal trademark statutes and is a misleading and deceptive practice.

BBB received several complaints against the company after the tornado in Henryville, Ind.

5. ELC Online Stores, 7601 Trade Port Drive, Louisville, eight unanswered/unresolved complaints. Consumers complain they ordered merchandise from the online company and never received it, or only received half of their order. Consumers say the company is hard to contact to ask for a refund, and those who have been promised refunds have not received them. Some consumers also complain of receiving expired promotional products.

6. Johnson Directories Plus Inc., P.O. Box 219, Hardin, eight unanswered/unresolved complaints. Business owners say they purchased ads with this company for a listing in a business advertising directory. The company asks for a $290-$500 upfront fee, with the understanding that a book would be received within 12 - 24 months. Business owners say they never received the book.

7. Special Occasions Weddings, 5101 Arbor Oak Court, Louisville, eight unanswered/ unresolved complaints. Business owners say they paid the company $300-$395 to participate in two wedding shows. They say the first show was cancelled, with short notice, and rescheduled. Some business owners could not attend the new date, and asked for a refund, but never received one.

8. Box 5 Productions, 8813 Fernview Drive, Louisville, seven unanswered/unresolved complaints. Consumers say they bought DVDs online from this company but never received them. One consumer complains he bought a DVD with his son’s state band championship on it, but the DVD he received had no sound. Another consumer says his child’s school was not on the DVD he received. Consumers say they get no response when they ask for refunds.

9. Smartwax Professional, 2623 Hedgepath Trail, Louisville, seven unanswered/ unresolved complaints. Local consumers complain they bought a Groupon for a car detailing service from this company, and when they tried to retain the services, they could not get the company to return phone calls, or got full voicemail boxes. Consumers who were able to get in touch with the company say they scheduled appointments with the company, and no one showed up to do the work.

“Any business can have a complaint, and in some cases, a customer can be unreasonable or impossible to satisfy,” Mattingly said. A company is not legally obligated to respond to complaints filed with the BBB. However, most companies respond and take proper action to satisfy customer complaints.

Get a BBB Business Review at www.bbb.org, or call 1-800-388-2222.

Cathy Williamson is manager of the Lincoln Trail Area branch of the Better Business Bureau. Contact her at (270) 982-1289 or cwilliamson@bbbkyin.org.