13 Ways to Avoid Getting Scammed by an Online Company
Unfortunately, recently I have been hearing a lot of small business owners complain about online companies that have ripped them off in the past. Some experiences involve companies taking their money when they sign up and not delivering what was promised. Others involve the company simply “disappearing” after the customer signs up without delivering the service paid for.
It is my goal to educate small business owners so that they can avoid these situations from happening in the future. There are a lot of precautions that can be taken and simple research that can be done so that you, as a small business owner, can rest assured that your money is safe.
1. Do a Google search on the Company’s name
If you are dealing with a company with a bad reputation, there is a good chance that someone has posted something somewhere online about their experience. A simple search for the company’s name should expose these. If the company has a very generic name, do a search for the company’s website address instead (Example: search on Google for “www.examplecompany.com”).
2. See if there is a phone number and address on the website
If a company does not post their address or phone number on their website, there is probably a good reason for it. A lot of bad online companies simply have contact forms on their site. If this is the case for the company that you’re investigating – BEWARE – there is probably a reason why it is not there. (more…)