Small business owners targeted by marketers
While this warning isn’t necessarily to point out a scam, it's to be wary of solicitations you might get in the mail if you're a small business owner.
Aggressive marketers are sending small business owners official looking mailers that lead them to believe they need to pay additional fees to make sure their business is properly set up.
Case in point: I recently received an email from a small business owner who switched her business from a sole proprietorship to an LLC. After doing so she began to receive official looking letters that said “You have one step left in order to buy your optional Certificate of Existence from ID Certificate Service.”
Our business owner thought this mailer was suspicious because she had already purchased a certificate online directly from the state for a much lower price.
Companies can get away with these types of solicitations because in the very fine print at the bottom of the mailer they state, “This is a solicitation for your business.”
Another company sending out a similar mailer is Labor Law Poster Compliance Service. This company’s tactics are more aggressive because they quote state code that highlights fines for failing to post certain information and being subject to penalties for being out of compliance.
In the end, our reader realized that all the requirements could be taken care of through the Secretary of State of Idaho website for a much lower fee so the need for these third-party services is unnecessary. If you're a small business owner, please look at these mailings closely because rather than saving you money, they could be costing you more.
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NO RELIEF FOR TIMESHARE OWNERS: A Coeur d’Alene reader called to find out about possible relief for timeshare owners amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Seems some companies are getting owners to believe there is some Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act money that has been put aside for timeshare owners to help them pay their loans and maintenance fees, particularly when owners aren’t able to get any benefit currently from their ownership.
However, while there have been many bailout programs being offered through the CARES Act, relief for individual timeshare owners is not included among the programs. Also, there are no federal or state bailout programs to help travelers in general who have suffered losses from canceled trips.
Why? Because travel is considered a luxury expense, not an essential spending item such as food and rent. If you own a timeshare and would like to see if there is relief available, it would be best to contact your lender directly, not the timeshare company.
Also, from information I've been able to gather, it appears that no money will be available for timeshare owners suffering hardship due to COVID-19 and timeshare companies are not offering buybacks to owners as a result of the pandemic. Do not pay any money up front to any company telling you they'll check whether or not you might be entitled to some relief from your payments or maintenance fees.
If you choose to try to exit your timeshare agreement, be aware that this is not an easy process and it will cost you money to get out of the contract in legal fees and probably maintenance fees. Now is also poor timing with selling a timeshare because if you aren’t getting any benefit, neither will a potential buyer.
Be careful if a company you're working with asks you to pay upfront fees just to market your timeshare. Often these companies collect your money and if they never sell your timeshare, you're still on the hook to continue paying the fees plus you're out the money you paid them, even if the marketing campaign is unsuccessful.
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WALMART'S MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM: Walmart is offering customers an alternative to Amazon Prime with its own membership service, Walmart+. For a monthly or yearly subscription fee, members are entitled to benefits both online and in-store.
The cost of the membership is $98 per year or $12.95 per month, which is just slightly cheaper than Amazon Prime’s subscription prices. If you aren’t sure about signing up for the services, Walmart offers 15-day free trials to try out the services before committing.
Benefits include free delivery on more than 160,000 items including technology, toys, household goods and groceries. Free same-day service may also be available on orders over $35 where available.
Walmart’s Scan & Go feature might be attractive to those who don’t like waiting in the checkout line or coming into contact with the checkers. This feature allows shoppers to scan items in-store as they shop and pay with Walmart Pay, so no need to wait in line to pay for your items. Another benefit is fuel discounts of up to five cents per gallon.
As the program evolves, expect more benefits to be added. Overall, Walmart+ offers a speedy in-store experience and fuel discounts that you won’t get with Amazon Prime, but Prime does include access to streaming services that Walmart does not.
Bottom line: If you are more interested in an in-store experience that can be offered by Walmart, then take advantage of the 15-day free trial to see if you like the benefits.
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Remember: I’m on your side.
If you have encountered a consumer issue that you have questions about or think our readers should know about, please send me an email at terridickersonadvocate@gmail.com or call me at 208-274-4458. As The CDA Press Consumer Gal, I’m here to help. I’m a copywriter working with businesses on marketing strategy, a columnist, a veterans advocate and a consumer advocate living in Coeur d’Alene.