Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster recognized the Better Business Bureau's "extraordinary commitment to justice" in presenting the BBB with the Attorney General's Justice Award for Consumer and Senior Protection on Oct. 28. The BBB's award was one of seven given out that day in Jefferson City.

Guests of an O'Fallon, Ill., motel have told the BBB that poor service and dirty rooms turned their visits into nightmares. Complaints included water leaks, broken beds, moldy air conditioners and missing smoke alarms, among other problems.

The photo at left was taken by a consumer who said he found food and trash under the bed in a room at the motel.

This is the season for giving, and with donors' dollars stretched to the limit, they may wonder which causes are on the up and up. The Better Business Bureau’s Charity Information Service has a ready source of guidance in the Winter Wise Giving Guide to more than 500 charities in eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois.

Cases of timeshare fraud have become so widespread that they are stretching the ability of law enforcement, regulators and consumer groups to keep up, the Consumer Fraud Task Force says.
Most cases involve businesses that charge timeshare owners up-front fees, promising that they can find buyers for their timeshares. Owners desperate to get out of long-term agreements often pay thousands of dollars and end up with nothing.

Customers of a Lake St. Louis, Mo., TV repair business say they feel duped after the company took their money and failed to fix their sets.A St. Louis woman said her set was never repaired and is “sitting, collecting dust” more than a year after she paid $200 to Big Screen Plus for repairs. A customer from Chesterfield, Mo., said she believes her set was repaired only after her husband drove to the owner’s home and threatened to contact the police.

More than 1,200 consumers across North America have filed BBB complaints against California-based Dealer Cost Car Audio, many claiming they never received merchandise ordered through the company’s website. The complainants include dozens of customers throughout Missouri and Illinois.

Approximately 116 vehicles stopped by the Columbia, Mo., Schnucks on Oct. 16 at the BBB's Shred Day, allowing consumers to safely dispose of sensitive papers without charge. The event was co-sponsored by the Missouri Attorney General's office and the Columbia Police Department. Shred-It, a Securit company, provided free shredding.

Recent crimes related to Craigslist transactions are a sober reminder of the need to use caution when arranging to sell or purchase products and services through the free classified site. In several cases, buyers and sellers have become victims of crimes, including robberies and shootings, after agreeing to meet people for Craigslist transactions.

Kermit the Frog may say it isn’t easy being green, but the Federal Trade Commission won’t make it any easier under proposed new guidelines for ‘green’ advertising and marketing. The FTC issued new proposed “Green Guides” for advertisers on Wednesday, Oct. 6. The agency will take comments for 60 days and is expected to issue final guidelines in the first half of next year.