Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is alerting consumers to Destinations Unlimited, a travel club that conducts sales presentations for consumers around the country, including in Tucson at the Omni National Golf Resort and Spa.

Since Oct. 15, BBB has received over 20 calls from consumers inquiring about Destinations Unlimited, and expressing concern about phone calls and voice messages left for them by the company’s representatives.

In the calls consumers are told they are “finalists” or have won a sweepstakes, and if they show up at the Omni Golf Resort on a specific day they are guaranteed to win either a car, $25,000-$45,000, or a 27 inch TV. In each case, consumers said they have no recollection of ever entering a sweepstakes.

One consumer who called BBB said she showed up at the Omni Golf Resort, but was turned away when she attempted to show a passport and driver’s license as identification instead of a credit card, as the program directors required.

A spokesperson for the company said they had recently had some “issues” with an outside marketer who was hired to invite people to their events. The spokesperson said the marketer was telling people they had won a new car, when in fact they would just be entered into a national raffle to win a new car.

Despite the company’s claims to have handled the issue internally, BBB has continued to receive calls reporting the same problem up to the issuance of this alert. BBB urges extreme caution if you respond to this or similar offers.

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As National Breast Cancer Awareness month celebrates 25 years of education, many national and local businesses are marketing pink ribbon products and services to support a cure for breast cancer. Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona advises consumers to research donation claims before making a purchase.

BBB encourages consumers to look for companies that discloses a charity name, the amount of a sale going to the charity, the duration of marketing campaigns and, if applicable, the maximum or minimum contribution amount.

“The ultimate goal is for a portion of the purchase to end up in the intended charity’s hands,” said Kim States, BBB President.  “Consumers can ensure this will happen by asking the right questions.”

While most pink ribbon marketing campaigns are trustworthy, consumers can eliminate the possibility of supporting companies that market false donation claims by doing the following:

• Identify the charity receiving the donation. If the product or service is linked to a donation percentage, contact the business or manufacturer to determine exactly where the money is going and what percentage is donated.
• Research the charity through BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance.  If the product or service is in support of an unfamiliar charity, learn more about the organization by reviewing BBB’s charity report online at www.bbb.org/charity.
• Confirm the charity’s corporate partners.  Many national breast cancer charities list the names of corporate partners and sponsors on their websites.

In addition to purchasing products and services, consumers may receive solicitations for general donations over the phone. BBB advises potential donors to be cautious of individuals claiming to represent national breast cancer charities.

According to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month organization (NBCAM), the group does not solicit contributions and has not authorized the use of its name for solicitation purposes. BBB suggests that you contact the charity directly to confirm any telephone solicitations.

Additional charitable giving advice includes:

• Be wary of appeals that are long on emotion, but short on describing what the charity will do.
• If you contribute, do not give cash.  Make a check or money order out to the name of the charitable organization, not to the individual collecting the donation.
• Watch out for excessive pressure for on-the-spot donations.  Be wary of any requests to send a “runner” to pick up your donation.
• Be wary of charities that are reluctant to answer reasonable questions about their operations, finances and programs.  Ask how much of your gift will be used for the activity mentioned in the appeal and how much will go toward other programs and administrative and fundraising costs.

For more information on how to ensure that your donation gets into the right hands, visit BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance at www.bbb.org/charity.

Thanks to BBB of St. Louis for bringing this to our attention:

Bargain hunters searching for wholesale electronics and clothing on Chinese Internet sites could find themselves up the Yangtze without a paddle. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns consumers to be cautious when dealing with Chinese and other overseas online sites that offer brand- name items at drastically reduced prices.

A St. Louis area businesswoman said she recently sent a total of $1,700 to three different online Chinese sites as payment for electronic items she hoped to resell at a profit on eBay.  She said she never received anything from any of them.

Michelle Corey, president and CEO of the St. Louis BBB, said Internet reports indicate the overseas wholesale scam is becoming increasingly widespread and often seems to victimize people trying to find low cost, brand-name items for startup sales businesses.

“The people setting up many of these Web sites are thieves, pure and simple, and are interested in nothing more than snatching your money and vanishing,” Corey said.

Many of the bogus Web sites offer elaborate graphics and detailed photographic displays of items for sale at deep discounts.  In many cases, entire paragraphs describing the companies appear to be copied from one site to another.

The St. Louis area businesswoman said she was searching for wholesale businesses to buy from when she discovered dozens of listings for Chinese wholesalers on the Internet.
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