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Health & Fitness

BBB: Customers Say Kenosha-Based Npodz.com Took Money, Failed to Deliver

The Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin is warning consumers about Npodz.com, an online retailer, located in Kenosha, WI. 

Npodz.com has an “F” rating, the BBB’s lowest grade. During the past three years, the BBB has received 47 complaints from 28 states and Canada. 
Twenty-eight complaints were received in 2013 and 18 complaints have been processed so far in 2014. Npodz.com and its principal, Mr. Sherron Leggett, has not responded to the BBB since September, 2013. Npodz operates using P.O. Box 2103, Kenosha, WI 53141. 

Complainants allege purchased t-shirts were not received. Some complainants report receiving an e-mail from the company saying the “item has been shipped” though it never arrived. Others report receiving shipping and tracking information that could not be verified. 

On 12/6/13 the BBB sent a certified letter to npodz.com due to a pattern of consumer concerns received by customers. The BBB sent a second certified follow up letter to the company on 12/19/13. To date, the BBB has not received a response. 
As of 2/27/14, its website is not functional. Its Facebook page is working, but a post has not been made since 11/8/13. A second website, 4cans.com also purportedly sells t-shirts. As of 3/3/14 that website says, “Our online store is currently closed for maintenance. Please visit us again soon.” Phone calls and emails to the company have gone unanswered. The BBB continues to receive numerous inquiries on the company. 

Kandy R. from Texas says, “On December 27th I placed two online orders totaling $147.82. Due to high volume shipping around the holidays, I allotted the company extra time before making a complaint. At this point, nobody has returned my calls or emails, leaving me to suspect this is a scam.”

Joyce C. from North Carolina says, “I ordered a shirt from npodz.com and I never received it! All of the tracking information provided was bogus and every time it was entered into USPS or on their website, no order information could be found. I’ve tried contacting the company numerous times to no avail. This company basically stole my money because they did not provide the product I paid for.”

“What’s disturbing about these complaints involving Npodz.com is not only the number and the rate at which they’re coming in, but also the pattern,” said Ran Hoth, CEO/president of the Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin. “Consumers paid for a product they did not receive, and now cannot reach the company. The fact that this firm has stopped responding to the BBB is that much more frustrating.” 

BBB recommends the following tips before doing business with an online retailer: 

Check on the company. Check with bbb.org for detailed information about the company including owner information and history of complaints. Make sure you know the online retailer’s address and phone number. Try to deal with a retailer with a physical address, rather than just a P.O. Box. 

Payment method. Use a credit card to pay for items you purchase online. If you don’t receive your item, you can dispute the charge with your credit card company. Never pay using wire transfer or Green Dot Money Pak cards because your payment cannot be easily tracked or retrieved in the case of dissatisfaction or fraud. 

Comparison shop. Be leary of advertised prices that are much lower than retail. Everyone is looking for a bargain, but beware of tantalizingly low prices. If the prices for items are well below those of trusted competitors, be prepared to walk away. 

Pay close attention to websites. Be sure to use a secure site. Many phony websites are created by scammers overseas. You can spot them because they do not include “https” in the prefix and usually contain spelling and grammar mistakes. 

Security seals. When shopping online, you want to look for the seals of trusted organizations and confirm that the business’s use of the seal is legitimate. You can typically do this by clicking on the seal which, if legitimate, will link you to a confirmation page on the certifying organization’s site. For BBB Accredited Businesses using the dynamic seal on their website, the clickable link will direct the consumer back to the company’s BBB Business Review. 

For an online story, to check on companies or file a complaint, go to www.wisconsin.bbb.org

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