Going online has its risks. You may look to Web seals to ensure that a site is safe. Companies post Web seals on their site to show that their business is on the up and up, or that they protect their customer's privacy. But Consumer Reports says you can't always count on them.
Take the seal from the Online Business Bureau. The company claims it's better at "protecting consumers online" than the Better Business Bureau. But Consumer Reports says that all companies have to do to get a seal from the Online Business Bureau is to pay $14.97 a month and a one-time initiation fee, and they get a green rating indicating they're a recommended business. And companies that don't pay—even the venerable American Red Cross—get a yellow warning, telling consumers "we cannot verify this merchant's status" and "proceed with caution."
And just because a site has lots of seals doesn't mean it's necessarily a good business. Take FreedomDebtRelief. Consumer Reports checked on the company with the Better Business Bureau and it had more than 200 complaints and an "F" rating.
It turns out there's even a potential problem with the Better Business Bureau's own "BBB seal of accredited businesses." Click on the seal and you're supposed to get the company's BBB report. But the Better Business Bureau says the reports can be faked.
So Consumer Reports says its best to go directly to the
Better Business Bureau's Web site to check out a site. Consumer Reports also recommends doing a Web search. You want to put in the company's name and words such as "complaints" and "rip-off" to see whether anything comes up.
