Opinion

  Check out the latest scams and bad business in BBB’s May 2013 Hot Topics!

1. OverstockCloseoutSales.com of Leitchfield, KY has an “F” rating with the BBB. Consumers say the website, which is now shut down, was using the BBB logo. Complainants, who found the company advertised on their local Craigslist, say they ordered and paid for items they never received. They paid for the items through Green Dot MoneyPak.

  As the school year ends, the festivities begin. From graduation get-ups to prom preparations, the expenses can quickly add up for parents.  Each year, BBB receives complaints from unhappy parents after the festivities.

According to a new survey by Visa, the average American family plans to spend $1,139 on prom this year, a 5-percent increase over 2012.

 In this column we will look back 15, 30, 60, and 90 years to capture glimpses of what was happening in Bullitt County in each of these years. Today we will focus on the month of April.

 Bet you thought the decade-old legal battle between the city of Shepherdsville and Southeast Bullitt Fire Department/Pine Creek Forest Fire Protection District was over in 2012.

  Spring has sprung! BBB is warning homeowners to be on the lookout for home improvement scams.

This is the time of year when less-than-reputable or unqualified contractors come into town promising a variety of services at cut-rate prices. They may show up at your door, advertise in local papers, or deliver fliers to your home.

There are thousands of reputable contractors who will deliver quality work, on time and within budget. Here are some tips from the BBB on how consumers can avoid costly mistakes and scams:

 At least one poorly-conceived charity scam (this one was on Twitter) has already emerged in the wake of the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday, and more are likely.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance (“Alliance”), the national charity monitoring arm of the Better Business Bureau, and BBB Serving Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont (“BBB Boston”) cautions donors about potential red flags concerning tragedy-related philanthropy.

 Some don’t like it. Others are overjoyed.

 FRANKFORT – Every legislative session, the General Assembly looks for ways it can improve the lives of our children, both in the classroom and when it comes to their safety.

This year, the House and Senate passed several new laws that further both of these goals.

One of the more widely publicized will establish a permanent, independent panel to review those cases in which a child either died or was severely injured as a result of abuse or neglect.

 You pluck a chicken before you can cook it. That is called a chicken plucker or any bird that has feathers you pluck it first.