BE CAUTIOUS OF STREET CORNER
AND HOTEL BARGAINS
It’s
done all the time in southeast Texas!
Companies and individuals conduct various kinds of bargain sales on
street corners and in hotel meeting rooms. These “so-called bargains” can pose special problems for
consumers.
1. Is it legal for a company or individual
to sell merchandise or offer
business opportunities from a temporary location? It depends on the local municipality and their
specific laws or ordinances; most, like City of Beaumont, provide open
availability. Make sure to get the owners permission and/or rent the space. Examples:
tools, pottery, shoes, painting, art, “velvet Elvis”, and home-based
business opportunities.
2. What are some of the special
problems related to buying from these “bargain” opportunity merchants? No time
to check out the company’s business reputation . . . if merchandise proves to be faulty or
misrepresented, the seller has left the area before an exchange can be made . .
. beware of the “fine print” that may say “merchandise is reconditioned” or it
may be counterfeit.
3. Where can consumers checkout a “bargain”
merchant? Call the
Better Business Bureau at (409) 835-5348 or (800) 685-7650 24 hours a day for a reliability/ratings
report, or check them out online at or www.bbb.org
. . . BUYER BEWARE!