The Better Business Bureau has received 142 complaints against a company in the last two months, as well as 34 Scam Tracker reports.
Consumers report placing online orders through the company and not receiving their orders when or as expected. After many continuous attempts to get in contact with them, the company has not responded to a single complaint.
VO Metal Center (vometalcenter.com) is a website that claims to offer custom metal art signs, used as indoor or outdoor decoration. The company reaches many consumers through Facebook Ads, suggesting purchasing a sign as a creative gift for upcoming holidays. Despite the numerous unanswered complaints, they continue to update their promotions on their website, most recently for Valentine’s Day with images taken from other legitimate businesses.
Regarding VO Metal Center’s BBB profile, there’s a statement that reads: “If you are currently considering a purchase through ‘VO Metal Center,’ BBB urges extreme caution. If you are currently experiencing issues with this business, please submit a complaint at BBB.org. You may also wish to dispute charges through your credit card / payment method.”
In addition, BBB posted an alert on social media warning consumers of VO Metal Center. The Facebook post received 78 comments from many distressed consumers all sharing similar negative interactions with the business.
One commentor shared: “Ordered way before Christmas as a Christmas gift and still don’t have it. Got the same email also. Wish I had seen this before I placed the order. I will be contacting my credit card company.”
Another commenter also did not get their gift in time for the holidays: “Ugh, I am in the same boat for 2 signs for Christmas and now it is far too late to try to get them from another company. Will just have to apologize to family members. Wish I had seen all of this back a month ago when I ordered.”
BBB recommends following these tips when shopping online:
• Do your research before you buy. Even if a company’s website looks legitimate, pursue other avenues of research such as reading reviews on BBB.org and other sites.
• If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary of sudden price drops and highly sought-after items.
• Avoid making quick purchases from social media ads. Advertisements are meant to be persuasive and appealing, but make sure you take a moment to verify the company.
• Don’t believe everything you see. Scammers are great at mimicking official websites, seals, URLs, fonts, and logos – do your own research.
• Get to know your payment system. Not all systems can reimburse you if you get scammed.
Share your scam story
Local law enforcement is concerned about the impact of scams on area residents, particularly the elderly.
Consequently, this newspaper works with local police and sheriff’s departments to keep residents updated on common schemes. Scam Alerts will appear in future editions as often as possible in the coming weeks.
Readers can also find online scam updates Thursdays at windomnews.com.
If you have been the target of a scam, your first contact should be local authorities. Also, feel free to contact us with details (we can keep your name confidential).
Send your story to: rahnl@windomnews.com, or call 507-831-3455. By sharing, you could prevent someone from being scammed.
