BBB|Austin reports that dozens of soldiers in the Advanced Individual Training (AIT) program at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas have been targeted by an online computer store called Millennium Computers that’s charging them thousands of dollars for laptop computers. Although the average laptop on the market sells for from $500-$1200 dollars, Millenium Computers’ laptops, marketed at $148 per month, ended up costing the buyers over $3,000 apiece.

Melissa Pointer of Little Rock, Arkansas says her son Anthony, who is currently stationed at Fort Sam Houston, was shocked when he received a bill totaling $3,303.71 for a laptop he purchased from Millennium Computers. Anthony told his mother that he and a group of fellow soldiers from Fort Sam Houston signed up to buy laptops from Millennium Computers for $148 a month, after meeting company representatives at a kiosk at a local mall. The company also advertises in the Military Times newspapers. The company’s Web site claims to offer the latest laptop models, but doesn’t list prices for them. The Web site also does not list a physical address for the company, but does ask for sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers.

Millennium Computer’s Web site claims they have locations in Texas, California, Illinois, Mississippi and Florida, but does not list any physical addresses or contact information other than a toll-free number and fax number. BBB is in the process of gathering information on the company.

“Our military looks out for our nation and BBB wants to look out for them by equipping soldiers and their families with the knowledge and skills they need to be savvy consumers,” says Carrie A. Hurt, President and CEO of BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas. “We especially want to encourage members of the military to carefully evaluate any offer to purchase big-ticket items like computers, because offers like this one cause us concern.”

For the complete BBB|Austin press release on Millenium Computers, click here. BBB Military Line reminds servicemembers that they can always ask their Legal Services office to check out a contract before they sign it. And it is always a good idea to comparison shop, and to check out any company you are considering doing business with by looking them up at www.bbb.org.