BBB TORCH Awards Celebrate Trust
10 Companies, 2 Charities, 3 Students Honored
 The BBB TORCH Awards luncheon on Nov. 30 celebrated companies and charities who exemplify excellent customer service and high ethical standards. We also honored three "Student of Ethics" winners from high schools across our territory.
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BBB Winter Wise Giving Guide Available Online
Up-To-Date Reports Are Always Available At stlouis.bbb.org/charity
 The BBB's Winter Wise Giving Guide provides information on 565 nonprofits in eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. This year, 164 charities have met all 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability and have received the BBB Accredited Charity seal to include online and in their promotional materials.
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BBB Cites Arthur Middleton Capital Holdings For Deceptive National Ads
Company Sells Heaters, $2 Bills, Patent Medicines
An Ohio company that markets products ranging from portable electric heaters to dietary aids to uncut sheets of U.S. dollar bills is under scrutiny for what the BBB calls significant and ongoing concerns over advertisements which the BBB believes have the capacity to mislead consumers.
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BBB Alert: US Air Ducts Advertises $49 Cleaning, Then Charges Customers Thousands
Ballwin Couple Agreed To $200-$300 In Cleaning, Got $2,780 Bill
 Customers of a St. Louis County air duct business have told the BBB they were lured by promises of $49 duct cleaning specials, then hit with unexpected bills of $1,800 and more. The BBB suggests extreme caution when dealing with US Air Ducts, which reports an address in University City, Mo.
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BBB Warns: Victory Sports May Be Misleading Businesses
Company Claimed To Have Agreement With Normandy Schools
The BBB is warning St. Louis area businesses to be alert for phone calls from Victory Sports, a Texas-based sports marketing company selling advertising space on school T-shirts. The company claimed to have an agreement with schools to product spirit T-shirts with local ads on them, but the agreement apparently had expired.
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BBB Alert: Haberstroh Insurance, Senior Health Group Use Misleading Tactics To Sell To Seniors
Company Sent Postcards Offering Medicare Information
A Missouri insurance agency appears to be using questionable Medicare mailings to sidestep the state’s no-call law and get its salespeople into the homes of senior citizens, the BBB warns. The BBB urges caution when dealing with Haberstroh Insurance Agency, Senior Health Group, Senior Health Team or B.D.H.
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BBB Warns Consumers About Bogus Charity G.O. Incorporated
People Paid To Get Utility, Rent Or Mortgage Assistance, Got None
The BBB is warning area residents to be alert for what appears to be a utility, rent and mortgage assistance scam operating in the St. Louis region. Nonprofit called G.O. Incorporated isn't registered with Missouri nor Michigan.
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Attorney General Obtains Settlement With Absolute Photography
Wedding Photographer Agrees To Give Clients Photos
A St. Louis wedding photographer who was the subject of a BBB alert nearly two years ago has agreed to give clients photos that were paid for but never delivered as part of a settlement with the Missouri attorney general. Erin Evans-Ford, owner of Absolute Photography, signed an assurance of voluntary compliance with Attorney General Chris Koster.
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BBB Warning: Five Holiday Scams To Avoid
Busy Consumers Can Be Vulnerable To Con Artists
 Consumers who let down their guard during the hectic holiday season can easily fall prey to scammers poised to pounce on careless or overburdened shoppers, the BBB warns. The BBB has identified five common scams that consumers should watch out for during the holidays, whether they’re shopping online, juggling packages at the mall or simply reading their email.
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Texas Gold Firm Agrees To Refund $5 Million
Texas Attorney General Obtained Settlement After BBB Alert On Firm
 A Texas gold-selling company that was the focus of a BBB press release in March has agreed to pay $5 million in restitution to its customers. U.S. Money Reserve of Austin, Texas, better known as United States Rare Coin and Bullion Reserve, also agreed to change its sales practices and comply with the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
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