Cochise County residents can do their part to reduce the millions of tons of electronic waste that ends up in landfills and protect against identity theft at an event scheduled for Saturday, February 18th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Ace Hardware, 3756 E. Fry Blvd in Sierra Vista.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona has partnered with the Sierra Vista Police Department, Ace Hardware, Suburban Miners, and Shred-it for Shred Fest 2012. Organizers are offering electronics and cell phone e-cycling in addition to secure, on-site shredding. Donations are appreciated.

What to Bring
Electronic equipment such as: PC systems, CPUs, monitors, mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, laptops, modems, hard drives, speakers, power cords, cables, phones, powers strips, desktop copiers, fax machines, cell phones with batteries and small TVs (no consoles). Television donations will require a $10 recycling fee.
Paperwork such as: old tax returns, bank statements, check book registers, credit card statements, medical records, NO PLASTIC PLEASE. That means no three ring binders, presentation folders or garbage bags. Data CD’s will be accepted if they are separated from paperwork. There is a five-box shred limit due to time constraints.

Donations
Donations for shredding are appreciated. Your donations will support BBB’s community and military outreach programs in Cochise County.  Electronics and cell phone donations are free with the exception of televisions, which incur a charge of $10

Where’s my stuff going?
Electronics: All electronic items will be collected by Suburban Miners of Tucson. These items are cleaned of securely stripped of data. Whole systems may be resold if they are salvageable. If not, they (more…)

An Ohio company that markets products ranging from portable electric heaters to uncut sheets of U.S. dollar bills is under scrutiny for what the Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona calls “significant and ongoing concerns” over advertisements which BBB believes have the capacity to mislead consumers.

The company, Arthur Middleton Capital Holdings of Canton, Ohio, is best known for its full-page ads in newspapers and magazines that appear similar to news stories and which run in publications in Arizona, and nationwide.

Arthur Middleton’s owner and chairman is Rodney Napier.

Kim States, BBB President, said BBBs in several markets  have questioned Middleton’s continued use of misleading and, at times, erroneous information in company ads.

“In our judgment, these problems have become so chronic and so flagrant that we felt an obligation to alert the public,” States said. “Time after time, BBB has expressed its concerns about the ads to the company. Time after time, the company has promised to make changes, only to come up with new products and new ads that are just as troubling.”

Most of the BBB’s concerns involve ads for World Reserve Monetary Exchange and Heat Surge – both businesses are part of the Arthur Middleton holding company.

BBB has logged 207 consumer complaints involving World Reserve Monetary Exchange, and 258 involving Heat Surge. Many of the complainants, some of which are from southern Arizona, say the ads are misleading.

World Reserve Monetary Exchange sells coins, paper currency, safes and related items and describes itself as “the largest provider of coin and currency aside from the U.S. Federal Reserve.”  Heat Surge is best known as the seller of Roll-N-Glow (is this the same as the Heat Surge fireplace?) electric fireplaces, with Amish-built mantles. Among recent ads targeted by the BBB are:

• World Reserve Monetary Exchange ads for uncut sheets of $1, $2 and $5 bills. The $1 and $5 bill (more…)

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning of phones calls coming from (718)683-3104, claiming there’s a problem with the call recipients credit card, and that action must be taken to keep the account open.

Consumers who pick up the call hear an automated message that states that their credit card has been deactivated, then prompts the consumer to enter their credit card number, expatriation date, three-digit security code, social security number, and zip code.

Consumers who enter all the information are not only giving away their credit card information, they’re opening themselves up to identity theft as well.

The Sierra Vista Police Department told BBB they have heard from numerous consumers who received the call- all from the same telephone number- and that all the officers at the Sierra Vista station have received the call as well.

BBB Tips:

•  Be wary of text messages or phone calls that request personal information. If you do not know (more…)