December 1, 2010 – St. Paul, MN – The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) has received complaints against OnSaleFurnitureDepot alleging non-delivery of products. OnSaleFurnitureDepot is an online furniture company which claims to operate out of an apartment in Fargo, North Dakota.
Customers state that after ordering and paying for merchandise on the company’s website (www.onsalefurnituredepot.com), their merchandise was never shipped. They also state subsequent messages left with the company via phone and e-mail have not been returned.
“This is an unfortunate matter,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota. “A quick online investigation reveals there may be several other people out there who are in similar situations as the customers we’ve heard from.”
When the BBB tried to access the company’s website today, it re-directed to a page with the following message: ‘The website you are trying to view is currently experiencing difficulties, please try again later.’ A call to the company’s listed phone number was answered by a recorded message saying the user was not available, though messages were being taken. Five complaints against the company are pending. In all five cases, customers report they paid for their merchandise with a Green Dot MoneyPak card.
Green Dot MoneyPak is a money transfer service. On their website, Green Dot MoneyPak urges their customers to treat their MoneyPak number like cash and to only use their payment system with approved partners and companies they can trust. They also state that once you provide your MoneyPak number and the money is sent, Green Dot cannot provide refunds.
When shopping online, the Better Business Bureau advises customers to:
• Check the company’s rating at www.bbb.org. A quick Google search is also advisable.
• Pay with a credit card – Under federal law the shopper can dispute the charges if he or she doesn’t receive the item.
• Use a reputable escrow service.
• Trust your instincts – Offers on websites and in unsolicited e-mails can often sound too good to be true. Consumers should always go with their instincts and not be afraid to pass up a “deal” that might cost them dearly in the end.
