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Presidents Message: The Better Business Bureau Investigates Contracting Crews and Wade Capital Management

The investigation team at the BBB is working diligently to get the word out about a couple of companies claiming to be located in our service area.

March 26, 2012 the BBB issued an alert to local contractors about a company and their telemarketing campaign offering local job leads. The company, using the name, Contracting Crews, claimed to be located in West Des Moines, IA. Mail sent to the company was returned as undeliverable. The phone number listed on the company website was found to actually be a landline in Bastrop, Texas.

The company also has links to another organization known as Contractor Support Management, whose Business Review is maintained by the Better Business Bureau in Colton, California and has an "F" rating with 123 closed complaints.

The company’s claimed to offer a contractor registry that provides job leads for bank owned properties as well as commercial and residential projects. Although they indicated that the service is free, there was a request for a one-time registration fee of $99. Customer experience shows that, amongst other problems, once respondents pay the initial $99 fee, they are unable to contact the company.

The BBB press release urged consumers to use caution when dealing with phone solicitations and be wary of high pressure sales tactics and always request information in writing before making a purchasing decision. By providing the alert directly to our Accredited Businesses involved in the construction trades the BBB provided timely and valuable advice.

The BBB also looked into the legitimacy of a company going by the name of Wade Capital Management. The company is using a Des Moines apartment building address and claimed to be involved with timeshare ownership sales as a "vacation ownership closing company." They have a connection to another company from Montana with an "F" rating known as TransWestern Group. The company requested that sellers pay a l0% transfer commission fee. Once the arrangements for the sale were made the consumer was instructed to wire money to an address in Mexico.

The BBB was able to thwart several consumers from falling victim to the scheme and issued a national alert on April 4, 2012 cautioning others against becoming involved with a general warning about wiring of funds which is like handing over cash.

As we prepare to send this Newsletter to press, we have just concluded our Integrity Awards event in Des Moines. Pictured below is our unparalleled group of Student of Integrity honorees and our great group of Business of Integrity winners. A big thank you to all of our participants and our sponsors including: EMC Insurance Companies, FBL Financial Group, ITAGroup, MidAmerican Energy, Principal Financial Group and Willis Auto Campus.

There is still time to make a reservation to join us at our Quad Cities area Integrity Awards on April 26, 2012, ll:45 at the Hotel Blackhawk. Please call us at 515-243-5027 if you would like to attend!

---Chris Coleman

Left to right:
James DeMatteis, Des Moines Truck Brokers; Libby Nelson, Kemin Industries;
Delaine Petersen, The Arc of East Central Iowa; and Norene Mostkoff, HCI Care Services.
Photo by Amy Allen Photography.

Left to right:
Austin Daniels, Preston High School; Elizabeth Petersen, Aplington Parkersburg High School;
Jason Phelps, Jefferson High School; Kathlina Roat, Roosevelt High School;
and Joseph Webb, Murray High School.
Photo by Amy Allen Photography.