Changing your address? Better Business Bureau warns consumers to read the fine print
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 04/04/2021 - 8:31am
With the weather getting warmer, moving season is beginning to pick up steam. Many are already taking advantage of the sellers market by listing their current homes and looking for fresh starts in new places. With moving comes some necessary tasks and to-dos that leave you open to missing important details that could save you a lot of money.
In particular, Better Business Bureau has received an increase in reports from Utahns about change-of-address websites and businesses. Consumers told BBB that they stumbled upon these other companies when looking for the official United States Postal Service (USPS).
USPS charges a one-time $1.05 to change your address and forward your mail. However on these other websites, consumers are being charged up to $80 after signing up. Upon further examination — or after being told by the companies—they will notice that the price is listed in the fine print. These tiny bits of text are at the bottom of the website in small font, or sometimes hidden on another page altogether.
Despite technically disclosing this charge, this lack of overall transparency about how much their customers will be charged has led to a slew of customer complaints.
“The best business models are those that inspire trust in a company, and are forthcoming and transparent with no surprise charges,” said Jane Rupp, President and CEO of BBB Serving Northern Nevada and Utah.
One consumer told BBB that they searched online and found a change of address website they believed to be the USPS. The particular business they found had the headline “USPS Change of Address, Secure US Form.”
“I filled out the change of address info, clicking through the official-looking pages to finish,” the consumer said. “At the end, debit card information is asked for. I assumed this was for verification purposes, as no fee was mentioned anywhere in the form or in the large advertisements, link name or headlines. Then, my card was charged $80 for this third party to send my address change to the USPS.”
The woman tried to have her bank stop payment, but since she paid with a debit card the bank told her they couldn’t suspend the transaction. She went back to the website in frustration, and noticed at the bottom of the page was a small sentence noting that the business wasn’t the official USPS, but a third party that will charge a separate fee.
The most effective way to avoid getting caught up in the effects of less than transparent online sales practices is to educate yourself on how to spot these kinds of tactics. Here are a couple of things to consider when shopping online.
Check the URL. It should have a little icon of a padlock with “https://” at the beginning. If you’re looking for the USPS to change your address, go to https://moversguide.usps.com or USPS.com/Move.
Check the business out in multiple ways. Before you make a purchase, always read customer reviews and research the business via BBB.org and other trustworthy sources of information.
Read the fine print. Though small, this text provides more info about what you’re agreeing to and can help you avoid unwanted or unexpected charges. If you can't find a price, or a message telling you the service is free, don't hand over your details until you confirm the cost.
Pay with a credit card. It is much easier to get money back from a credit card than a debit card, gift card, money order, or cash purchase.
About Better Business Bureau
For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. Today, BBB serving Northern Nevada and Utah is supported by nearly 4,000 Accredited Businesses that have voluntarily committed to adhere to BBB’s Standards for Trust.
