Merchants, professionals as likely to fall prey to fraud as other consumers

Something often missed when discussing consumer affairs is that while not all consumers are businesspeople, all business and professional people are consumers.

Merchants have to deal with suppliers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and other businesses. They also are consumers of groceries, medications, automobiles, homes, insurance, appliances, and the same goods and services as their customers.

Individual consumers can sometimes turn to state and federal agencies for help with a dispute. But merchants often find that those same state or federal agencies are not empowered to help a business, even though the dispute may be similar to that of an individual consumer.

In the past 30 years Maine merchants often have turned to COMBAT when they find themselves in the role of consumer with a problem or dispute.

A small coastal florist contacted us when it had prepaid a $3,000 order with a California floral supply company and, after waiting more than a month, received no product. COMBAT contacted the California attorney general on behalf of the Maine florist. Thanks to COMBAT’s relationship (often on a first name basis) with virtually every federal, state, and private consumer agency, we were able to arrange fast handling of the Maine complaint.

Within a week, the California attorney general advised that the West Coast supplier was bogus, it didn’t even have any inventory, it was a fraud!

The California attorney general seized the bogus company’s assets, took action, and within three months, the Maine business received a full refund.

A southern Maine business recently contacted us about the billing and business practices of a major long-distance telephone access provider. In this case, the Maine business believes it has been “taken” for more than $68,000 in charges that are either inappropriate or a result of “slippery” or manipulative accounting practices. Upon review of the billing records, we agree, and COMBAT is investigating the matter.

We will report our findings because it is possible that other Maine businesses are in similar circumstances.

In another case, a Bangor merchant reported that he had made an $800 deposit on a travel package for which he had been solicited by phone. He felt pretty silly because as a businessman he thought he should have known better. But then, merchants are human. We contacted the out-of-state marketing firm, confronted them with what we felt to be misrepresentation, and soon secured an $800 refund for the Bangor businessman (who now knows he should go through a local travel agency). We like nothing better than to see dollars returned to be spent in Maine.

A Belfast business wisely contacted us before making a $500 pledge to a telephone solicitor from an organization claiming to be a Maine charity raising cash to benefit the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty. Our investigation determined that the “charity” had no Maine connection, could not guarantee that any funds would be spent in Maine, and 85 percent of the funds raised would be gobbled up by the marketing firm for administrative fees and never help a firefighter family.

Fraud and misrepresentation through the mail, by phone, and over the Internet are costing Maine’s economy millions of dollars each year. Maine’s business community is as much at risk as families and households.

Even when there is no evidence of fraud, merchants can find themselves involved in frustrating disputes that can be remedied by third-party mediation. If you are in business, remember that you too are a consumer and should you have need, Consumer Forum, COMBAT and the Maine Center for the Public Interest are here to help you.

For information regarding business and professional membership, call 947-3331, write Forum, or visit www.consumerprotect.org.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT/The Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. For help or to request individual or business membership information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.