“I’m still trying to figure out how to keep it,” says 34-year-old Cory Cates, talking about his house in Yucaipa.  Cates is one of 54 homeowners--almost all in southern California--who have complained to the Better Business Bureau about the mortgage refinancing practices of Lifetime Financial, of Studio City.

Here’s the catch: Consumers are caught off guard when they’re confronted by a collection agency about an unpaid debt they supposedly incurred some seven or eight years ago. Though amounts are small and proof is nonexistent, pressure is great, and consumers are intimidated, irritated, and inexperienced at knowing how to react.

The Better Business Bureau’s website (www.labbb.org) now includes the opportunity for customers of all companies in its database to write and post a review of their experience with the company and to rate it with zero to five stars.

Business owners take note:  you can become liable for millions of dollars in damages for attempting to better serve your customers.  Learn from the case of Ben Bridge Jeweler, Inc.