Today’s job market demands new skills, and career training schools, both public and private, offer training that can help you prepare for a new career. But which ones will really help you land a job?

Better Business Bureau can help you narrow your search. BBB Reliability Reports show whether the school has been the subject of complaints from students and others and give you information such as who runs the school or how long it has been in business. The reports are available online at www.tucson.bbb.org. “It pays to check out a school’s credentials and its success at placing graduates,” said Kim States, BBB President. “While most vocational schools do a good job of training students, there are some operators who are more interested in collecting tuition than in providing valuable training.”
Just as with buying a new appliance, it pays to do some comparison shopping to determine the cost, the course offerings and other aspects that may make a particular school the right one for your schedule, your budget and the skills you need. The following are some tips to help you find the right school:

• Obtain catalogs or bulletins from several schools, both public and private, that offer the training you are seeking. Ask whether the school is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. (more…)

Recent calls to the BBB from senior citizens claim that individuals and companies are using the Medicare rebate as a tool to gain clients and get information from senior citizens.

Companies or con artists are contacting senior citizens claiming that in order to receive a tax-free Medicare rebate they must provide additional information. These companies may be attempting to sell you their drug policy or could be con artists planning to use your information to steal money and steal your identity.

The Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law earlier this year, provides a $250 tax free rebate to seniors on Medicare with prescription drug coverage. This coverage may be through Medicare Extra Help or provided through another Medicare approved provider. The gap is the point when an individual has reached a point in the plan where coverage stops and they pay out of pocket until the expenses reach a point that the plan will again pay. At that point a rebate check will be mailed to the participants.

Medicare announced in May, 2010  not to give out any personal information because it’s not necessary to receive a rebate. If a Medicare recipient is in the plan, the pharmacy records will automatically trigger the rebate and a check made out in the participants name will be sent within 45 days.

“Any company or individual that is telling you that you must first fill out paperwork, meet with them, or buy their policy is using the rebate as a deceptive way to solicit business or steal your identity,” Kim States, BBB President.

Callers are telling BBB they are asked to meet with someone for the purpose of getting the rebate.  If you are approached by phone for an appointment, know that it is not necessary to give out any information or purchase a policy to receive a rebate check, and you may report information about the caller such as salesperson name, company name, phone number and address to BBB, Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 or local law enforcement.

Online privacy policies have taken center stage as social networking sites and search engines have recently come under fire for sharing user information. Even if you think your business is too small to merit a privacy policy, the Better Business Bureau advises that if you have a website, you will benefit by having a comprehensive privacy policy.

“Privacy policies are about transparency and are key to building trust between your business and your customers,” said Kim States, BBB President. “While it’s easy to get intimidated by the scope and legalese, the bottom line is, you will increase consumer confidence in doing business on your website if you have a clear privacy policy.”

When drafting your website’s privacy policy, BBB recommends using simple language to answer the following five questions:

• What information do you collect? – Outline the types of personal information that you collect from customers. This includes home address, e-mail, phone numbers and credit card numbers.

• How do you collect the information? – Websites collect information from customers in many different ways. Even if you don’t actually sell goods through your site you might have an e-mail sign-up for a newsletter, an application for credit or install cookies on the visitor’s (more…)