Warning! Check Before You Write a Check.

In light of the story coming out of Dallas and Boston today with regards to the biggest bridal show scam ever it seem that I need to reiterate some warnings.

According to information uncovered by Tanya Eiserer of the Dallas Morning News, this was much deeper than a single bridal show in Boston. This scam was run in cities around the country. Karen Tucker, the alleged perpetrator was also trying to bilk money by selling advertising in magazines that never existed.

This is one of the reasons why I have always told my clients to never invest in any advertising vehicle with out at least a one year track record. Never. In the past my reasoning was that these required a huge investment of time and commitment on the part of the producer/publisher and all too often they found in the end that they were not up to the challenge. The result being either a very poorly produced product or the failure to produce all together. Now it seems that rather than people with good intentions gone bad we are being preyed upon by people with only the worst intentions. Be careful out there my friends.

This advice from the Better Business Bureau is a good place to start:

When considering renting space at a trade show event, the BBB advises businesses to:

*Ensure that the event is legitimate. Check with the venue to find out if the event has been booked there. (Duh, isn’t that a no-brainer??)

*Consider paying for the event by credit card. If the services are not rendered as promised, you have recourse through your credit card provider.
*Remember that even though an offer may have a Web site and be on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, you should still check out the business and the details of the offer before making any payment.
*Ask to see a booth rental contract before you make any financial commitments. Carefully review the terms and understand what you will be committing to and what recourse you have if the event is cancelled.

Besides that, be it bridal show, magazine or website; give them a year to get their feet wet and prove their worth before you give them any of your precious marketing dollars!

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