Today’s world is full of scams, rip offs, and cons. If you are a victim of a company who scammed you, you know exactly what I mean. Most companies who scam consumers target venerable consumers such as those who are elderly, uneducated, unemployed, disabled, or do not speak English as their primary language. Not all scams target these groups however. Some cons target affluent and educated consumers as their main victims. Some scammers saturate the market to pull in anyone they can regardless of education or income. Anyone hear from a Nigerian Prince lately? If a company scammed you the only thing that matters is how to handle it and how to get back the money you lost.
The worst approach in my professional opinion is to let it go. This is actually a very easy approach to take though it is not the approach I would recommend because you allow the company who ripped you off to keep your money. Why would you do that? I have had clients go against my advice and lose thousands of dollars as a result and I just can’t understand why. Don’t let it go. Don’t let a thief keep your hard-earned money.
Sue the Company Who Scammed You
The best way to handle a company who scammed you is to simply sue. Yes, it sounds harsh at first but suing a company who scammed you is far more effective than the alternatives. For example, you could simply ask the company who scammed you to give you a refund and you should to bolster your lawsuit. The problem with that approach is that when a company rips you off it has no intention of ever refunding your money. That’s the whole point of scamming you. Asking the company who ripped you off for a refund is likely to lead nowhere though it does strengthen your case when you sue the company who scammed you.
Suing the company who ripped you off also has the added benefit of helping other consumers. When a company is held accountable for its actions by a consumer watchdog it is less likely to scam other consumers. Yes, in some cases it actually regrets scamming consumers but in most cases simply wants to keep the public unaware of its scams. Filing a lawsuit makes the matter public and therefore sheds light on a scam company that would rather stay in the shadows.
File an FTC Complaint or Attorney General Complaint
Another approach is to file an FTC complaint or attorney general complaint. My advice is don’t bother. Both are a waste of time. FTC complaints are gathered and usually lead nowhere unless the company who scammed you has thousands of complaints. If the FTC gets enough complaints they may investigate and even fine the company but even then you won’t normally see a dime. An attorney general complaint is a little better but similar in outcome. The attorney general will gather the complaint and typically only investigate when it gets multiple complaints. Again, you don’t normally get a dime.
Conclusion
If you really want your money back you probably have to sue. Don’t waste time with FTC complaints or attorney general complaints. Ask for a refund but realize that the company who scammed you won’t give your money back. You ask only to strengthen your case and to give legitimate companies a way to resolve the problem without a lawsuit. Don’t be afraid to assert your rights in court but more importantly don’t let a company who scammed you get away with it.