Just a reminder to anyone  who may be in search of a few tips on balancing their checkbooks, and/or a free dinner; BBB is partnering with Christ Church United Methodist to conduct a free class on handling daily personal finances, Wednesday night. Childcare will also be provided free of cost to anyone attending the class. Anyone interested in attending can call (520)327-111 to RSVP. The class will be at Christ Church United Methodist, 655 N. Craycroft Rd. Tucson, 85711.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona along with Christ Church United Methodist will host a series of free educational classes for consumers in the coming weeks.

BBB courses will cover a range of subjects, including how to balance your checkbook, how to be a smart consumer, how to handle debt, and how to buy a car.

The classes will be led by BBB staff, with the exception of “How to Balance a Checkbook,” which will be led Gary Jay, a retired banker with Bank of America.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 6:30pm

How to Balance your Checkbook and other daily financial needs

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 6:30pm
How to be a Smart Consumer and avoid scams, get value for your money and make wise financial decisions

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 6:30pm
How to Handle Debt and who to trust to help you

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 6:30pm
How to Buy a Car and not get caught up in the fantasy

Classes will take place at Christ Church United Methodist, 655 N. Craycroft Rd. Tucson, 85711. Each class will be an hour to an hour and a half long and includes a free dinner, and free child care (license and bonded). Please call (520)327-1116 to reserve a meal or child care.

Welcome to Better Business Bureau Consumer Alert Blog!  It’s our hope that Southern Arizona consumers will not only use this blog as an educational resource, but to also stay on top of the latest developments in the Southern Arizona marketplace.

Each day BBB receives around 2,000 calls from consumers checking on businesses, filing complaints, or reporting possible marketplace scams they come across. After taking in so much information from consumers on a daily basis, BBB has gleaned an extensive database of scammers, phishers, get-rich-quick-artists, and pretty much any sort of dishonest marketplace behavior you can think of.

However, for every dishonest business or fly-by-night operation, there are dozens of businesses that aim to serve consumers with honesty and integrity. It’s the ultimate goal of BBB to steer consumers towards these businesses, by alerting them to the dishonest ones.

So from all of us at BBB, we hope that you find this blog informative as well as entertaining. Consumers can call, (520)888-5353 or email info@tucson.bbb.org, for more information on any blog entry posted here.