*See bottom paragraph for the latest update regarding this company

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is alerting consumers to Patterson Bell, Harris Fields, Lexington Duke, Henderson Gill, Robinson Rhodes, Madden Hall, Nicholson Barnes, Jefferson & Greer, Welsch McCormick, Shelton White, Zimmerman Cain, Davidson Powell, Morrison Banks, Sutton Perry, Gilbert Turner, Sullivan Lang, Stanton Carney, Emerson Ross, Swanson Carr, Thompson Fuller, Richardson Blake,  and Hoffman Sims,  self proclaimed “Awards Redemption” agencies  mailing letters to local consumers that state the recipient has qualified for airline tickets.

Since Dec. 10, BBB has received over 30 inquiries about Patterson Bell from consumers seeking to determine if the offer is legitimate. Consumers who spoke to BBB said they had no recollection of ever entering a sweepstakes or contest for the airline tickets.

Consumers say the letter states that they have qualified for an “award” of two airline tickets that have a retail value of $1,400. The letter claims that Patterson Bell has attempted to contact the consumer multiple times and if the consumer does not contact them by a specific date the airline tickets will be given to an alternate recipient.

According to consumers, Patterson Bell’s address in Tucson is 4811 E Grant Rd, STE 261 85712, and its Web site, www.pattersonbell.com, says the company has additional locations in New York, Florida, Utah, New Jersey, Texas, California, and Oregon.

BBB has also received a number of inquiries about Hoffman Sims, another “Awards Redemption Agency” in Tucson whose Web site, www.hoffmansims.com, is similar to Patterson Bell’s, and claims to operate in the same cities.

Consumers who called BBB concerning Hoffman Sims say they too received a letter indicating they had won free airline tickets. A Hoffman Sims representative told BBB over the phone that they the mailings were sent on behalf of Southwest Travel Inc., a Tucson-based travel club. BBB has not been able to (more…)