BBB receives reports of company threatening to charge consumers who complain
Burnsville, Minnesota – June 21, 2012 – The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is issuing an alert on Darn Toothy Sam, a Burnsville company which offers camera repair services and sells camera equipment on their website – www.darntoothysam.com. The company has an F rating with the BBB due to a pattern of customer complaints. Customers allege that after paying upfront for merchandise or repairs, promised deadlines were not met. Many complainants also state Darn Toothy Sam was not responsive to follow-up inquiries.
“We have a very clear pattern of a problem with this company,” said Dana Badgerow, President and CEO of the BBB. “Consumers pay the company in advance for repairs or equipment, and then wait – and wait. From there, their calls and emails to the company are not returned and people are left with no guidance and few options.”
In the last three years, Darn Toothy Sam has been the subject of over 50 customer complaints. The company has responded to most complaints brought to their attention by the BBB, and has generally resolved issues by trying to explain the reason for delays, offering refunds or offering to return equipment – often in the same condition as when it was shipped to the company for repairs. Five complaints have been closed as unanswered and five more are currently pending.
Darn Toothy Sam was accredited by the BBB back in 2009, but had their accreditation revoked in November of 2010 due to an increase in complaint volume and for failing to address the underlying cause of these complaints.
In recent weeks, the BBB has received reports that the company is threatening to charge consumers who file complaints with the BBB a fee of $35, claiming that’s what the BBB charges them per complaint. The BBB handles complaints as a free service to the public and business community.
Customers who have disputes with Darn Toothy Sam are advised to file complaints with the BBB at bbb.org.
