In the wake of the devastating tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma yesterday, and in north Texas last week, Better Business Bureau and BBB Wise Giving Alliance have issued tips to help donors make smart giving decisions and to avoid scams.

“After every natural disaster and manmade catastrophe, we see an outpouring of generosity, along with the inevitable scams and frauds,” said Art Taylor, president and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “We urge donors to take the time to make sure their donations are going to legitimate charities that can do the most good for those in need.”

“BBB Oklahoma City is so grateful for the immediate response from people all across the country,” said Kitt Letcher, CEO of BBB of Central Oklahoma. “We will be keeping a close eye on the situation in order to prevent, as much as possible, scams related to charity relief, as well as restoration and rebuilding services.”

BBB Wise Giving Alliance is offering the following tips to help donors decide where to direct donations to assist victims:

Be cautious when giving online. Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to unsolicited spam messages, and emails and social media posts that claim to link to a relief organization. If you want to give to a charity involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s website. In response to hurricanes Katrina and, Rita, and the Asian tsunamis, the FBI and others raised concerns about websites and new organizations that were created overnight, allegedly to help victims.

For donors who wish to give to a Southern Arizona charity. Tucson-based BBB Accredited Charity World Care is collecting emergency relief supplies for victims of the tornadoes.  Those who wish to donate items can take them to any of the Zanes Law or A Family Discount Storage locations in Tucson.  For a complete list of items being collected or to make a cash donation, donors can visit World Care’s website, www.worldcare.org.

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other websites, as they may not have fully researched the relief organizations they list. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations and verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims. Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting disaster victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fund raising and administrative expenses. It may use some of its other funds to pay these costs, but the expenses will still be incurred.

Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly. See if the charity’s website clearly describes what the charity can do to address immediate needs.

Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to see whether they are equipped to provide aid effectively.

Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations. In-kind drives for food and clothing, while well intentioned, may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need – unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid properly. Ask the charity about its transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona recognized ten local companies at the 2013 Torch Awards Luncheon Thursday at JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson.

The event featured Master of Ceremonies Tom McNamara of KVOA Channel 4 and keynote speaker Michael Clayton, best-selling author and leadership guru.

Winners were honored in three categories: the Ethics Award, the Good Neighbor Award, and the Customer Excellence Award:

The Ethics Award: Honors a business for its trustworthy and honorable business practices in four primary categories.

• Winner: Empire Today 
• Finalist: Patio Pools & Spas
• Finalist: Green Valley Cooling & Heating

The Good Neighbor Award: Recognizes a company that has shown a commitment to making southern Arizona a better place through community service.

• Winner: Snell & Wilmer, LLP
• Finalist: Randall & Richards
• Finalist: Nextrio, LLC
• Finalist: EffortlessHR, Inc.

The Customer Excellence Award: Recognizes businesses that have an outstanding customer service program and a history of exceeding customers’ expectations.

• Winner: Golden Eagle Distributors         
• Finalist: Pima Dermatology
• Finalist: BRAKEmax Car Care Centers

More than 70 Southern Arizona businesses were nominated for the program, which was sponsored by Rich Dad, Desert Sports & Fitness, Snap Fitness, Philip P. Pappas II, Ph.d. of Ameriprise Financial, Inglis Florists, Allegra, Nova Home Loans, Inside Tucson Business, Alliance Bank of Arizona, Sundt Construction, The Law Offices of J. Marc Montijo, Jim Click Automotive Group, and NAWBO.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is alerting consumers to Blade Empire- an online knife and sword retailer with ties to Tucson- that has racked up 64 consumer complaints since 2010.

In the complaints- 51 of which the company has not answered- consumers allege they never received merchandise they ordered from Blade Empire, or they received incorrect or incomplete orders. In addition, consumers have reported that Blade Empire customer service became extremely hostile towards them when they inquired about their orders.

When contacted by BBB about their unanswered complaints a Blade Empire representative said that there was confusion as to how to properly answer the complaints, and blamed most of the complaints they had received on “impatient people.” The representative also claimed that the company is actually based in Ukraine.

Multiple consumers who contacted BBB said that Blade Empire began using profanities, and threatened them when they emailed the company to inquire about their orders. In email exchanges obtained by BBB, Blade Empire used numerous epithets to belittle and threaten the consumers, and refused to provide the consumers with the requested status update on their orders.

To date the company has not taken steps to rectify the pattern of complaints they have received, while racking up more complaints than any other Southern Arizona business so far in 2013.

The company has used several Tucson addresses to receive mail over the years- most recently 3849 E. Broadway Blvd, but is incorporated in Nevada, and employs customer service representatives in Ukraine. The owner of the company legally changed his name from Michael Lopez to Thayvian Zayon before incorporating Blade Empire in Nevada, but still appears to be using the Lopez alias in recent videos uploaded to Youtube.

BBB Tips for shopping online:

• Beware of too-good-to-be-true deals. Offers on websites and in unsolicited emails may offer free or very low prices on hard-to-find items. There may be hidden costs or your purchase may sign you up for a monthly charge. Look for and read the fine print.
• Verify the online retailer’s track record. Visit www.bbb.org to verify that the company you’re considering ordering with has a good track record when it comes to not only shipping their orders in a timely manner, but also in resolving any customer complaints.
• Pay with a credit card. Under federal law, you can dispute the charges if you don’t receive an item. Shoppers also have dispute rights if there are any unauthorized charges on the card, and many card issuers have zero-liability policies if someone steals and uses your card number. Check your credit card statement regularly for unauthorized charges. Never wire money.
• Keep documentation of your order. Save a copy of the confirmation page of an order or emails confirming the order until you receive the item and are satisfied.
• Obtain a tracking number for shipments. If you need the product before the holidays, find out when the seller intends to ship it and if possible, how it will be shipped. The tracking number can help you find a lost order.
• Know your rights. Federal law requires that orders made by phone, mail or online be shipped by the date promised or within 30 days if no delivery time was stated. If goods aren’t shipped on time, shoppers can cancel and demand a refund. Consumers also may reject merchandise if it is defective or was misrepresented.

For more information about Blade Empire or other online retailers, consumers can visit www.tucson.bbb.org or call (520)888-5353.