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WALK-IN-STORE |
Most stores are legitimate, but some just try to rip you
off. The problem is how to pick the bad apples from the
barrel. Walk-in stores, shopping malls, grocery stores
and other shopping areas are also places where criminals
operate their scams. |
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Any statements meant for you to do something right
away
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Bait and Switch/Low-Ball gets you into store and
its sold out
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Upfront money/down payment
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Extended Warranty Scare Tactics
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Membership fee to buy wholesale (e.g. furniture)
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Asked to sign a form with blank fields or incorrect
information
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Going Out of Business all the time
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Turn Over to someone of higher authority to get a
better deal
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Last One Available/Today Only
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Companies with accounts in the name of an individual
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Magnetic water treatment for hard water
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Never give sensitive info or respond to a "meet me
somewhere" message to a text message unless
confirmed by voice.
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Claim generation of vibrations and/or oscillations
in the water prevents hard water
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Wholesale prices seem too high
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Made a Mistake adding this Up for a product having a
number of options
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Paperwork - Euphemism "Just sign here"
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Keep you waiting, Wear you Down Ploy common with car
dealerships
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New business just for a season (Winter, Summer..)
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Scratch & Dent appliances
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Great deal on new, state of the art equipment
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Deals are for a limited time
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Will beat any competitors prices
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Equipment is lauded as a "breakthrough" answer to a
common ailment
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Claim to be a leading exporter or one of the largest
companies
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If something is lost or stolen, and if store calls
to confirm they have it, "ALWAYS" confirm with
store. The crook may have made the call to get you
out of the house.
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Precautions
You Should Take |
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Some thieves will fill a shopping cart with similar
items, then when you aren't looking they will switch
carts. Your purse in the cart can be gone in a minute.
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If purchasing
medical equipment , get advice from your doctor,
hospital discharge planner or physical therapist, NOT
from a salesperson.
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No matter what body part you want to tone,
there's always seems to be a product that promises to deliver results.
Usually not true?
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An offer for a free wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, or other medical
equipment, careful it could be a scam to defraud you or
Medicare.
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Take care about free - when a company advertises its
free, and in the next sentence claims that it will cost you little or
no money and it's paid for by Medicare.
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Cons can occur where you least expect them: in church,
at school, in a grocery store or gym.
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Offers to sell you something at a cheap price saying you can
turn around and resell it for a quick profit, via an advertisement
on Craig's List, a newspaper or on eBay.
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If a stranger approaches you on the street, needing to find
"two honest Americans, to fulfill the conditions of a
will", so he could inherit a huge sum of money, and
offers you some for helping-KEEP WALKING.
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Increase the price of an item at checkout.
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Brightly colored price tag on items that look exactly like
sale price tags but are not the ones on sale.
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Flyer or shelf item is sales discounted but at the
checkout it is rung up at full price.
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Mixed days sales Flyer - one page with several items on
sale Friday and Saturday, and another page with a Monday and
Tuesday sale date which you may fail to see.
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Returned junk
is substituted for the original product and is
unknowingly put back on the shelf.
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Watch out for those small dollar amounts that may be processed
because they are so small you might not notice the price
has been increaded.
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At
checkout the advertised sale price does not show on the register
with the
explanation is the computer must not have been
updated.
TO FILE A COMPLAINT GO TO THE
COMPLAINTS SECTION BY CLICKING HERE
Electronics Stores, Especially those in Big Cities, Can Be A Big
Problem |
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Camera and electronic
stores advertise low prices, however,
items may be without a warrantee or items
removed/switched.
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Stores that show: going out of business, lost lease or other such wording
are probably trying to scam you.
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Get you to "Say Yes
Routine", asks a series of simple questions where you
answer yes and then try to get you to do the same with
an important sealing the deal question.
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Are you sure it,s a discount? Some stores will raise
prices and then lowered to the regular price for the
so-called sale.
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They offer 30 days money back guarantee. Of course, the buyer needs
to cover the return shipping fee and possible a
restocking fee.
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Extended
warranty is an insurance policy and big box stores make
extra money selling them; most are rarely worth it.
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Mattress manufacturers and retailers appear to have
collaborated in creating a unique industry in which
advertisements give the false impression that consumers
can effectively compare prices on mattresses.
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Whole house carpet installation for one low price; in
the fine print there are many extra charges.
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Private labels prevent you from comparison shopping,
since the same product may be under multiple different
"names" depending on where you shop.
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Steer clear of stores that always state they will beat anyone else's price by a certain percent.
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Carpets come in different qualities. The one you bought may not
be the one delivered. Keep the sample you bought and
compare it before installation. Do not believe the carpet
is "crushed" from being in the roll. If you're buying a
particular type, for instance "Stainmaster", make sure your invoice
says that.
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Do not pay the separately it must be included in the price of
the carpet and installed by the store.
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Be aware "Bait & Switch" from a low priced ad to a
costlier one when
you get to the store.
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For realistic product reviews look at Consumer
Reports, CNET, Amazon and Buzzillions reviews. Other
sites will also give you the pros and cons of a product
and some will tell you about outright scams.
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NOTICE: We provide this Encyclopedia
as a public service. Unfortunately we do not have the manpower to answer
all of your emails or questions on specific topics. We, therefore, do not
post our telephone number or address as all our communications are
through email.
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