Like any business barter has its share of professional con artists. With the ability of the internet to create a virtual reputation, con artists stand prepared to take your goods, services and money. They also stand prepared to ruin your reputation with virtual impunity.
An organization released a press release on the 27th of July claiming to have suspended the membership of a barter exchange for failing to respond to an investigation into unspecified “charges”. The organization itself had built a virtual reputation through over a year of press contacts and has been quoted by print and online news organizations like Business Week.
The organization in question had made a big deal of requiring its members to have a “brick-and-mortar” presence and not merely an online presence. In this day and age, customer service requires any serious business to have an online presence; in fact an online presence is more important than an unverifiable address in a distant city for most customers. The organization itself has no online presence and only the unverifiable address in a distant location.
Following the lead of Yahoo News, PRWeb and numerous other news outlets, I’m removing the original story. Without naming either the organization that released the story or the barter exchange involved, I’m going to replace that story with these words of caution:
- Insist on a web presence whether for a barter exchange or anyone claiming to rate or monitor them. In today’s world, no web presence means a lack of customer service. In a barter exchange, it also means a much more limited selection of available barter partners and reflects an exchange that is not making best use of available technology. In a nonprofit organization it signifies a lack of organization and commitment.
- Insist on a customer service phone number.
- Check for complaints with the company’s local Better Business Bureau.
- Look for companies that are members of the IRTA or NATE, where it makes sense to do so.
- Ask for references.
- Find a company by personal referral where possible.
Attention: This post has drawn a large number of comments clearly intended to draw me into an ongoing dispute, of which there is no public record, creating potential legal liability for the site owner. Comments are closed on this post. Any attempt to circumvent the closing of comments on this topic will be considered an attempt to “hack” the site and will be reported to appropriate authorities along with full server logs. Such attempts may also result in referral to an attorney for civil action.
