There are many benefits to ordering Christmas gifts online.  The convenience of shopping from your own home or office is way up there on that list.  However, one of the biggest hazards of online shopping is that there is always going to be someone or some group in cyberspace trying to take advantage of you.

Thankfully, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) does their best to police businesses on the information superhighway.  When they locate a business that should be suspect, BBB is quick to send out alerts to the potential shoppers.

In November, BBB serving the Heart of Texas concluded its investigation into the Fort Worth-based business Beats by Dr. Dre, which sells products that appear to be Beats by Dre headphones. Despite listing the business’s physical address in Fort Worth, BBB’s investigation team determined the Beats by Dr. Dre website is operated by an individual, or individuals, located in China. Reports by consumers indicate that Beats by Dr. Dre requests items to be returned to China to obtain refunds, most of which are never issued. Over the past year, 10 complaints have been filed against Fort Worth-based business Beats by Dr. Dre, all of which have remained unanswered.

In May, one consumer reported, “I purchased four Bluetooth headsets and was suspicious of them being knockoffs, but the price was good for Bluetooth headsets. Once I received the products, it was very obvious they are knockoffs. Extremely poor quality, one of the headsets is physically broken and none of them are Bluetooth.”

Unethical and fraudulent businesses often associate themselves with well-known brands and names to convince consumers they are interacting with, and receiving, brand-name products. BBB recommends holiday purchasers pay close attention to the name of the business and any signs it may not be an authorized retailer of the brand-name product, including checking with the brand's official website.

Just in case you're interested in Beats headphones, here is their official website.

Some of the more commonly counterfeited brands include Nike, Adidas, NFL, North Face, Apple, Beats, Sony, Louis Vuitton, Kendra Scott, and Pokeman to name a few.

The Better Business Bureau advises consumers to try their best to exercise due diligence when it comes to online purchases.  Anyone needing information concerning the authenticity and reputation of certain businesses are welcome to visit the BBB Scam Tracker webpage.

 

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