High Price for Vanity Publications

10/5/2009

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The BBB of Central Florida has received complaints from businesses about National Business Publishing Corporation located in Winter Park, Florida. The company sells business directories nationwide (in book or online version). Complaints are regarding misleading sales tactics. The complaints report that their business was offered a "free copy of the 2009 Edition valued at $500." The offer is most often industry specific (National Contractors Guide, National Roofers Guide, Industry Guide) and received via mail. The fine print reveals that in fact there is no true, free offer. In order to receive a copy of the publication you must pay "$249 for inclusion in the guide." Failure to sign and return the statement generally results in an automatic invoicing for $299. This type of guide is known as a vanity publication.

Businesses report being fooled by the document because it contains a pasted signature obtained from an unknown document. The signature is often that of the business' owner or an administrator. It is unclear as to whether or not a business has ever received an actual publication from the National Business Publishing Corporation.

For a complete report on this company, click here.

BBB of Central Florida urges all businesses to protect your company by employing the following practices: 

  • The best protection is knowledge and vigilance. Your company's accounting department, or the individuals responsible for paying bills, should carefully review all invoices, particularly those from unfamiliar companies.
  • Never place an order over the telephone, unless there is no doubt that the firm you are dealing with is reputable. Obtain the organization's name, address, and telephone number, as well as its representative's full name and position. Then check on the company's reliability with your local BBB.
  • Establish effective internal controls for the payment of invoices. Channel all bills through one department.
  • Insist that employees fill out pre-numbered purchase orders for every order placed.

    • Check all invoices against purchase orders and against goods or services received. Make certain that order numbers correspond with the invoices.
  • Verify all invoices with the person who gave written or verbal authorization.
  • If the invoicing company claims to have tape recordings of the order and verification calls, insist on hearing them.

To distinguish a reputable directory from those of little or no value, the BBB suggests the following tips: 

  • The reputation of professional and business directories may be checked with relevant trade associations. Ask the solicitor if they belong to any nationally recognized trade association and verify that information.
  • Ask questions. A reputable company will be willing to tell, and prove to you, who subscribes to its publication and the number of volumes published in past years. If they indicate distribution to federal or local government agencies, ask for references by a contact name, agency, address and phone number of any local agencies, and check with those references.
  • If the subscribers to the directory are mainly limited to those whose names appear in it, you can logically infer that it is, in fact, a vanity publication for the self-praise of those listed. C
  • Contact your BBB for a reliability report on the company.
  • When considering advertising in a business directory, insist on verifiable circulation figures, details of publication dates, name(s) of publishers, number of paid subscribers, and sample copies. If they provide you with a sample copy, call some of the local advertisers in your industry to see if their ads were successful in getting business.
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